In present-day society, architecture is often directly influenced by capital. Ersatz monuments are designed to entice and accommodate as many as possible, for revenue. Endless products in response to endless occupancy and demand. By Hongjian Qin & Chi Fong Wong. Advised by Jenny Wu

Using Las Vegas as the backdrop of their thesis exploration, SCI-Arc B.Arch graduates Hongjian Qin & Chi Fong Wong design a data center whose structure can adapt to its surrounding desert environment. By creating a "sustainable breathing facade" the structure, in addition to its surrounding energy facilities, helps establish "a new, horizontal corridor that is perpendicular to the Las Vegas Strip." Their design exploration unpacks the purpose of architecture during a post-human time.

Archinect connected with the duo to learn about their project's progress and how they transitioned the entire project to a digital format. The team also shares their thoughts on how the pandemic has affected the industry and architecture's resiliency as it responds to the turbulent events of 2020.

Archinect's Spotlight on 2020 Thesis Projects: 2020 has been an extraordinarily challenging year for architecture graduates. Students were displaced as schools shut down, academic communities had to adapt to a new virtual format, end-of-year celebrations were canceled or changed dramatically, and now these students are graduating into an extremely challenging employment market. To support the 2020 class we're launching a summer series of features highlighting the work of thesis students during this unique time of remote learning amid COVID-19. Be sure to follow our 2020 thesis tag to stay up to date as we release new project highlights.

Our project is a post-human, infrastructural monument that speaks to a future where architecture isn’t produced for humans, and humans will be the new excess of architecture. 

Please describe your thesis.

Our project is a post-human, infrastructural monument that speaks to a future where architecture isn’t produced for humans, and humans will be the new excess of architecture. We are bringing a traditionally inconspicuous I.T. infrastructure from background to foreground, to reveal and celebrate its importance through a morphological approach. The data center is a combination of the symbolic geoform, the sustainable breathing facade, and the high tech interiority which coexist on the outskirts of Las Vegas.

With the energy facilities and our data center, we are establishing a new horizontal corridor that is perpendicular to the Las Vegas Strip. In this new industrial corridor, the biogas plant collects and processes waste from nearby neighborhoods by turning organic waste into methane gas, the methane gas and the energy produced from the solar field are then stored in fuel cells and power the data center. The geothermal plants provide cooling for the racks. The heat generated from the data center is then distributed to the nearby neighborhoods and the excess human space under the data centers. The direct air capture units help purify the air around our data center and the surrounding neighborhood.

These systems create a carbon-neutral environment for the data center, the surrounding neighborhoods, and the city. They form a synthesis of the natural and the artificial, therefore the form and aesthetic of the monument are derived from this synthesis. We’re also utilizing necessary, functional ventilation systems in the facade skin that also elevate the systems into an aesthetic for the project.

The interior of the data center is mostly automated and inaccessible by humans, however, hidden underneath the cores, there are casinos, retail spaces, and nightclubs; excess human spaces that only exist as a byproduct of the massive energy our data center and energy systems produce. 

We had to come up with an entirely new presentation strategy when we found out that it was going to be fully virtual.

How did your project change as studios transitioned to remote learning?

Due to the pandemic, we deviated from our original plan, which was to build a super-sized model for our final thesis presentation. We had to come up with an entirely new presentation strategy when we found out that it was going to be fully virtual. We did some adjusting and brainstormed a lot in the process of switching to remote learning, which gave us the idea to present our thesis with a short film. Despite it being an unconventional format for architecture, we thought it was the most engrossing and appropriate way to present our thesis. We had to learn how to edit videos and make animations, but it was all worth it in the end. 

Considering the pandemic precludes many forms of social interaction, it’s important to stay connected with others and provide support for them as well.

Any tips for students as they continue to work on their thesis?

This likely won’t be the last project in their career, but it is their project, their vision. It’s important to stick with their own interests, because thesis is a highly formative experience. Their diligence will pay off in many ways. Apart from that, getting support from others is crucial in the production phase. Considering the pandemic precludes many forms of social interaction, it’s important to stay connected with others and provide support for them as well.

The Other Space by SCI-Arc B.Arch graduates Hongjian Qin & Chi Fong Wong. Advised by Jenny Wu

As a recent graduate experiencing the direct effects of the pandemic, how do you feel about the architecture industry right now? 

Most industries are getting pummeled by the pandemic, architecture’s no different. You can’t really move projects forward when the construction has stopped, in the midst of a recession. However, it’s important to stay positive. Knowing the fact that many far-reaching architectural theories were devised in the post-WWII-era, the future still holds many things to look forward to. The industry will likely adapt, recover, and move forward.

What are your next steps as a recent grad?

One of us is attending Harvard GSD’s MArch II program, starting this fall. The other is currently working as an architectural designer in Los Angeles.