This 40-year-old wood-framed building was successfully adapted for a data center by focusing on simplicity and sustainability through careful replacement and enhancement of existing conditions. Rather than stress the roof with suspended overhead utility systems, the project team designed a custom floor-mounted steel equipment platform that stretches across most of the building. Burying that structure’s columns buried inside corridor walls produced a consistently clean yet functional building-wide aesthetic.

Repurposing an existing building aided achieving the project’s sustainability goals. In addition, the design team implemented a refrigerant cooling system that offers significant energy savings and zero water usage—a valuable feature in a drought-prone area.

To complete the transformation, the existing building entrance was expanded through the addition of a double-height metal entryway clad with wood paneling. This feature draws visitors inside while conveying the building’s new identity as a high-tech space. The main communal area located just past the lobby celebrates the intersection of new and old by exposing the existing wood structure below an LED lighting design that is reminiscent of a circuit board.

Floor-to-ceiling windows at the lobby and internal courtyard invites natural light to the far reaches of the building’s interior. Open-open work spaces with versatile seating arrangements permit near-limitless ways to bring together employees to engage in conversations that will spur innovation and increase productivity.