Data Centres: Architectural Innovations from Dublin to Germany20 May 2024
The growth in the demand for sustainable, high performing data centres requires architectural designs that combine operational efficiency with informed design principles.
In this article, we share insights from our experiences designing best in class data centre projects across Europe. These insights serve to advise and inspire the industry with the knowledge to lead data centre projects.
Architectural Excellence in Dublin
As a strategic hub in the tech industry, Dublin hosts numerous MCA DC projects where the focus is on designing data centres that are not only functional on an operation level, but also sustainable, efficient to construct, and carefully integrate into their surrounding context. The architectural inputs relating to structure, building envelope, and site configuration, are essential for optimising energy use and enhancing overall building performance.
Our designs incorporate an innovative and creative approach to the building envelope that maximises thermal efficiency and minimise energy leakage, while allowing for time and cost-effective construction. We ensure to carefully consider the local site context together with relevant local authority permitting objectives. These are key to supporting a smooth permitting process and to mitigate against any surprise permitting conditions. The orientation and massing of a data centre building is strategically planned to address the local context and environmental conditions, and to reduce emission and acoustic impacts.
Pioneering Designs in Germany
In Germany, we have extended our expertise to integrate data centres seamlessly into urban and sub-urban landscapes, positively addressing local permitting considerations. Our designs need to combine the technical requirements of data storage with public facing designs that enhance the urban fabric.
Our projects place significant emphasis on utilising sustainable building materials and innovative construction methods that aim to reduce the ecological footprint. We seamlessly integrate requirements for green walls, site greening, district heating capabilities, rainwater harvesting, green energy production, and much more, into the overall development to achieve a coherent and fully coordinated design.
Landscape and Public Realm Enhancements
An important aspect of MCA projects is our focus on landscaping and the impact on the public realm. We design site landscaping to support biodiversity, manage stormwater, as well as to offer a planning gain, integrating the development into the wider community and local context. These spaces are thoughtfully designed to complement the architectural language of the data centres, ensuring they blend into their environments and contribute positively to the local ecosystem.
Cross-European Data Centre Collaborations
We leverage our extensive and growing network across Europe, engaging in collaborations that add value to our projects with diverse expertise and innovative practices. This cross-pollination of ideas enhances the sustainability and efficiency of our architectural designs, making them attractive to investors and operators looking for cutting-edge solutions in data centre development that best serve our clients needs.
Why MCA?
Collaborating with us offers access to top-tier architectural design services that are sensitive to both operational efficiency, local context, and sustainability goals. Our expertise in designing the physical and environmental aspects of data centres ensures that these facilities are not only efficient, but also complementary to their surroundings.
As digital infrastructure needs continue to evolve, our commitment to innovative and sustainable design places us at the forefront of the data centre architecture industry in Europe. Our projects promise to meet current demands while paving the way for future innovations, ensuring that data centres remain adaptable to new technologies and environmental standards.
Our role in shaping the architectural landscape of European data centres is pivotal, promising a new era of thoughtfully designed, sustainable, and community-integrated facilities that set global benchmarks.