ZUR3 Data Center by Gruner&Friends: A New Architectural Typology for High-Performance Digital Infrastructure

A Landmark Data Center Next to Zurich Airport

The ZUR3 Data Center by Gruner&Friends establishes a new benchmark for digital infrastructure design in Switzerland. Completed in 2023 and spanning 30,955 m², the facility is part of Digital Realty’s growing Zurich campus and strategically positioned beside Zurich Airport. This location creates a physical and operational connection to existing data centers while setting the stage for the campus’s long-term expansion. Adjacent to ZUR3, Sou Fujimoto’s upcoming 26,000-square-meter “Meet” mixed-use development will introduce new retail, leisure, and commercial environments, reinforcing the district as a hub for innovation and digital exchange.

A BIM-Driven Data Center for the Future

The entire ZUR3 project was conceived, designed, and coordinated using a fully integrated 3D BIM workflow. This collaborative digital model synchronized the work of structural, electrical, mechanical, civil, and building physics teams, guaranteeing precision and allowing rapid execution despite the building’s complexity. BIM optimization ensured high-quality construction and accelerated delivery, completing the project in just 2.5 years, a notably short timeframe for a data center of this scale.

Interstellar-Inspired Architectural Identity

Gruner&Friends introduces a new typology for data center architecture inspired by Christopher Nolan’s film Interstellar. Rather than presenting a monolithic industrial box, the building is enveloped in a sculptural “data curtain.” This multilayered façade concept reinterprets the film’s fourth-dimensional bookshelf into a contemporary architectural language. The exterior reveals glimpses of the technical world inside through calibrated openings that mark the main entrance, vertical circulation zones, and large loading bays. Chromed elements, optical lighting effects, and curved metal surfaces produce dynamic reflections, making the façade appear active, responsive, and constantly shifting depending on light and perspective.

A High-Performance Façade System

The 143-meter-long by 57-meter-tall structure is visually softened through meticulous façade engineering. The cladding system consists of modular anodized aluminum panels in six variations and two chrome tones, forming the shimmering textile-like “curtain.” Perforated elements allow natural ventilation essential for cooling the transformer-heated interior. Each panel hangs from a concealed aluminum substructure that creates a ventilated cavity to enhance thermal insulation and energy efficiency. This façade not only conceals and beautifies the massive volume but performs as an integral component of the building’s environmental strategy.

Layered Spatial Organization and Advanced Security

Inside, the data center’s layout is structured through layered concentric rings that reinforce security across multiple zones, making ZUR3 one of the most secure digital facilities in the world. Customer spaces span 11,400 m², all powered entirely by renewable energy sources. Gruner&Friends designed the program to balance technical precision with spatial quality, ensuring that workspaces and operational areas benefit from daylight, clear flows, and optimized performance.

A Courtyard as a Reflective Green Oasis

At the core of the building, an inner courtyard acts as a calming green void for staff, bringing natural light deep into the interior. The mirrored façade panels lining the courtyard extend the perception of space, echoing the reflective nature of the outer envelope and creating visual continuity across the architecture. Black PPC aluminum panels strategically mark functional elements such as loading bays, bridges, and emergency exits, breaking the silver rhythm of the primary façade and highlighting key access points.

Sustainability as a Core Principle

Sustainability guided the project from design through construction. ZUR3 uses 100% renewable energy, features high-performance materials including Alucobond, Isover, Frinorm, Glas Trösch, and Xtratherm, and integrates an advanced thermal envelope that minimizes energy loss. The BIM-based coordination reduced material waste and optimized technical routing, contributing to the campus’s long-term carbon reduction goals.

A Milestone for Switzerland’s Digital Architecture

With 31,000 m² of programmable space, ZUR3 is now the largest data center in Switzerland, merging architectural identity, technical complexity, and environmental responsibility. Gruner&Friends delivered a project that reflects the future of data infrastructure: highly secure, energy-efficient, visually expressive, and deeply integrated into its urban context.

All photographs are works of Gruner&Friends