A building like a machine
atNorth FIN02 data center
Location: Espoo, Finland
Area: 8978 m²
Client: atNorth
Completion year: 2025
Photos: Martin Sommerchield, Kuvio
AtNorth’s FIN02 data center in Espoo embodies a building designed on technology’s terms. It is a machine-like structure playing a key role in the global digital infrastructure. Its architecture makes this visible: a rectangular, windowless form, together with the facades’ structured rhythm and repetition of materials, underscores the building’s systematic, mechanical character. The facade is clad in metal, with technical elements such as generator exhaust stacks left visible and accentuated with vertical mesh panels.
Alongside the data center, the adjoining office wing lightens the overall composition through its distinctive form, contrasting facade color, and framing elements around its vertical windows. Natural elements in the outdoor areas – such as green roofs and climbing plants that will, in the future, scale the office facade – further soften the building’s appearance and help it integrate into the surrounding cityscape.
Thanks to skilled, multidisciplinary design work, the massive structure was fitted into a dense urban context and accommodated on an unusually small site, even as space requirements grew during the process. Creativity and inventive solutions – such as vine-covered walls and the precise placement of functional elements – together with seamless collaboration among the international project team, ensured both the fulfillment of technical demands and a visually refined result that integrates well into the surrounding cityscape. Remarkably, the project was completed on an exceptionally tight schedule given its scale and complexity.
The architectural design was guided by the idea of the building as an intriguing machine. For this reason, the vast building systems and cabling of the data center were not fully concealed, even in the interiors. In the office areas, the generous ceiling height is celebrated: the ceiling is left open, with technical systems exposed between vertical acoustic panels. Tall, narrow windows give rhythm to the facade and create a play of light and shadow across the workspaces.
The architectural language of the exterior continues inside. The facade’s metal mesh is used again on wall and ceiling surfaces, creating a visual link between indoors and outdoors. In the lobby and meeting rooms, vertical oak slats – designed to match the client’s concept – add warmth and refinement, while echoing the facade’s vertical motifs.
Although the building is rooted in technology, the design was shaped not only by technical demands but also by human needs and environmental values. Spaces used by people – such as offices and lobbies – are finished with warm materials: wood surfaces, textiles, and acoustic wall elements. Generous daylight, combined with wood and other softening materials, brings a sense of calm and comfort to the work environment.
On the grounds, trees, shrubs, and other plantings add vitality and a welcoming atmosphere. All auxiliary buildings and the office wing are topped with green roofs, while climbing plants extend greenery onto the facades.
Durable, technically sound material choices support the building’s purpose and strengthen its identity. Environmental responsibility was also central to the design: for example, the neighboring K-Supermarket uses waste heat from the data center to meet nearly all of its heating needs.
