OBJECTIVES

• Develop a building concept that accommodated the company’s plans to showcase their new cutting-edge data center while adhering to the strict functional requirements of a heavily-fortified and backed-up IT infrastructure, complete with Florida hurricane-resistant construction standards and redundant electrical and environmental systems. 
• Develop an exterior design strategy that adapted the company’s aesthetic standards to a “black box,” fortified data center.

DESIGN

• The heart of the Data Center is the large, clear-span spaces housing the tightly-secured computer servers.  These spaces are contained within 18” thick reinforced concrete walls and roofs that meet Florida hurricane projectile-resistant construction standards.
• In front of the server rooms are public lobby and client services spaces that will be utilized for marketing and training visitors and users who are encouraged to view the highly secured and controlled facilities.
• Double-height glazing is used in the front entrance to maximize the feeling of welcoming into the public areas while strictly adhering to the anti-projectile wall construction requirements.  Direct line-of-sight into sensitive interior spaces are blocked while a sense of openness is maintained.
• To create architectural interest and infuse a humane scale to what amounts as a solid, black box, a curtainwall system of shadow-boxes is employed to mimic the sleek, contemporary style of Saavis’s other buildings.