RTKL’s Baltimore-based Applied Technology Group has designed the 130,000-square-foot Huawei Technologies Corporate Data and Command Center, currently under construction in Shenzhen, China. Huawei is one of China’s leading suppliers of telephone switching equipment, and controls over 70 percent of the domestic market. (Shenzhen, located not far from Hong Kong, is the first economic free trade zone in China.)

 

The data/command center is integrated into the existing corporate campus, and is designed to be compatible with a future office development located on an adjacent site.

 

“We were able to take an aggressive design and construction schedule, identify ‘best of breed’ data and command center design standards, ensure their accurate interpretation for the Chinese market, and establish a new technical standard for mechanical and electrical engineering systems design and reliability,” says Doug McCoach, AIA, RTKL vice president in charge of the project. “We also developed a trans-Pacific team structure which incorporated local engineering and architectural resources to produce construction documentation, which enhanced the fast track schedule.”

 

The first such installation in the region, the facility will offer the functionality of a world-class command center. Special features will include an executive briefing room overlooking a two-story, 50-seat command center station.

 

To coordinate with the existing structures on the campus, the building will be clad with travertine marble. In addition, a series of steps have been incorporated into the design to reduce the apparent mass of the building, and harmonize with the adjacent hillside.

 

The center is designed to support an equipment load of 40W/SF in 20,000 SF of space, with expansion at the same load density up to 40,000 SF. All of the engineering systems are designed to an N+2 level of redundancy with concurrent maintenance. Electrical systems utilize medium voltage switchgear for economy and reliability.

 

The project is scheduled to be completed this summer.

 

RTKL, one of the world's most influential multi-disciplined design firms, delivers ideas for a changing world and solutions that bridge cultures and technologies. The firm’s Applied Technology Group has been designing mission critical facilities since 1978. Well accustomed to working in unexpected places with unconventional processes, RTKL collaborates with clients to create economically viable places that celebrate the way we live. To date, the firm has amassed a portfolio of work that exceeds one billion square feet and extends to 60 nations.