Building Better Looking Neighbors

Welcome to our next installment of Building Better Neighbors, a series dedicated to exploring design choices that can help data centers become more welcome in their local communities.  

 

In this edition, we’ll explore how aesthetic design decisions can be the difference between an unwelcome eyesore and a pleasant neighbor.  

 

For years, many data centers have been treated as simple utility boxes—large, gray, and visually indifferent to their surroundings. But as development expands closer to communities, that approach is becoming harder to defend. Municipalities are paying more attention to sightlines, massing, and exterior details, and residents are increasingly vocal when new buildings feel out of scale or out of character.  

 

That makes aesthetic details more than finishing touches; they are a practical part of community-focused design. When architects and designers address visual impact early, they can reduce opposition, support approvals, and create facilities that perform at a high level without reinforcing the “gray box” perception that has long followed the industry.

 

Data centers are highly technical buildings, but they are also part of the public realm. Their facades, rooflines, and equipment yards are often visible from roads, neighborhoods, and adjacent developments.  

 

When those elements are left exposed or unresolved, the result can feel harsh and unfinished. By contrast, buildings that incorporate facade articulation, material variation, and visual screening tend to read as more intentional and more compatible with their setting.  

 

Architects can use performance-based exterior elements to improve a building’s appearance. Sun Controls add depth, rhythm, and shadow to otherwise flat facades. With a diverse selection of configurations and customization options, sun controls can do everything from lighting up at night to displaying custom graphics. In addition to, you know, helping regulate sunlight in your data center.

Architectural Screens are a simpler, more economical alternative to exterior renovations. They provide an aesthetic advantage by improving a facade’s decorative style and adding a dose of personality, which—in case we haven’t been explicitly clear yet—data centers desperately need. Conversely, screens also conceal unsightly equipment.  

Performance and appearance can work together  

 

Certain building requirements—for instance, airflow—require specific solutions, like louvers, which aren’t exactly known for being pretty. But we’ve worked on that, too. Something like a Perform Louver retains the performance capabilities of standard louvers but places them behind a modern perforated aluminum skin, offering a cleaner, more elegant way to integrate ventilation into the facade. Details like this do make a difference! If you’re a residential neighbor who can see a data center from your backyard, any visual interest is going to make the view a little more palatable.  

 

 

As data centers continue to expand into new regions and closer to established communities, visual design will only become more important. The facilities that earn trust will be those that balance performance with presence, meeting technical demands without ignoring the people who live and work nearby.  

 

Thoughtful screening, facade detailing, and equipment integration can help avoid the need for reactive fixes later. More importantly, they signal that the project team is taking the community context seriously—a critical piece of delivering successful data center projects.  

 

A data center does not have to look anonymous to perform at a high level, and with the right architectural elements, it can become a more considered neighbor from day one.