Ballangen, Norway, located about 140 miles north of the Arctic Circle, will be home to the largest data center in the world when it completes construction in 2018. Ballangen was selected because of Norway’s abundance of green energy, cool climate, large technical workforce, and its access to international high-performance fiber in neighboring Sweden. The site’s secure, moated property was also a deciding factor in selecting Ballangen, according to Kolos, the American and Norwegian company behind the data center.
The green facility is within 25 kilometers of a huge amount of excess hydropower that will allow the data center to scale up to two gigawatts of consumable renewable power, which is more than any other data center location in the world. The use of wind energy will also help the facility achieve its goal of being powered by 100% sustainable energy.
Rendering courtesy of HDR.
The 600,000-sm, climate-cooled Kolos facility will be powered by hydropower and will scale beyond 1,000 megawatts of computing power. High-speed traffic to continental Europe and as far off as the United States’ east coast will be routed from the Kolos node through the Swedish high-performance fiber.
HDR designed the four-story data center along a central spine with the building forms arranged to mimic a glacier’s movement as it displaces swaths of land. At the base of the spine are modules, or data halls, that are secure, scalable, and connected. At the terminus on the water, the spine becomes a public space clad in copper and acts as the gateway to the public waterfront promenade. HDR says the alluvial fans, glaciers, and mountains that surround the site inspired the design of the overall data center.
Related Stories
Giants 400 | Oct 11, 2017
Top 25 data center architecture firms
Jacobs, Corgan, and Gensler top BD+C’s ranking of the nation’s largest data center sector architecture and AE firms, as reported in the 2017 Giants 300 Report.
Data Centers | Aug 28, 2017
Do AEC firms have the wattage to meet the demands of a charged-up data center sector?
As construction and leasing surge, one big contractor worries about his industry’s talent shortage.
Healthcare Facilities | Jul 25, 2017
Healthcare technology: Preparing for the world of tomorrow
This article outlines the current data center landscape in the healthcare sector, industry trends, and challenges and opportunities new technologies present to the healthcare space.
Data Centers | Jul 21, 2017
Operational wellness was an objective for a new 911 call center near San Antonio
The Operations Center consolidates activities that previously were being handled at 25 locations.
Data Centers | Oct 14, 2016
Where data centers meet design
As technology continues to evolve, we have to simultaneously adapt and help our clients think beyond the short term, writes Gensler's Martin Gollwitzer.
Data Centers | Oct 10, 2016
Data centers enter new era of innovation
AEC firms see opportunities as consultants for clients trying to figure out which data center solution works best for their IT, computing, and distribution needs.
Data Centers | Sep 26, 2016
Micro data centers keep IT departments connected to computing
Over the past two years, SmithGroup has been getting more requests from clients for micro data centers.
Data Centers | Sep 19, 2016
New ANSI/ASHRAE data center standard is performance-based, more flexible
The aim of the standard was to ‘not stifle innovation.’
| Aug 10, 2016
DATA CENTER GIANTS: Information overload is pushing the limits of mission-critical facilities
Streamlined design and delivery approaches for individual business enterprises and co-location facilities are being born out of the necessity to bring new capacity online as quickly as possible.
| Aug 10, 2016
Top 50 Data Center Engineering Firms
Vanderweil Engineers, Jacobs, and Syska Hennessy Group top Building Design+Construction’s annual ranking of the nation’s largest data center sector engineering and E/A firms, as reported in the 2016 Giants 300 Report.
