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Architecture

Underground atomic shelter transformed into an internet provider's HQ

By Bridget Borgobello
September 09, 2011
Underground atomic shelter transformed into an internet provider's HQ
HQ for the Swedish internet server provider, Bahnhof (Image from Bahnhof)
HQ for the Swedish internet server provider, Bahnhof (Image from Bahnhof)
View 28 Images
The modest, single front entrance to the bomb resistant Pionen is protected by security 24/7 (Image from Bahnhof)
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The modest, single front entrance to the bomb resistant Pionen is protected by security 24/7 (Image from Bahnhof)
Above ground, outside the entrance to Pionen, in Stockholm, Sweden (Image from Bahnhof)
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Above ground, outside the entrance to Pionen, in Stockholm, Sweden (Image from Bahnhof)
The internet service facility is centrally located in Stockholm, directly below the Sofia Church, where the cave-like formation houses hosts server halls and offices (Image from Bahnhof)
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The internet service facility is centrally located in Stockholm, directly below the Sofia Church, where the cave-like formation houses hosts server halls and offices (Image from Bahnhof)
HQ for the Swedish internet server provider, Bahnhof (Image from Bahnhof)
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HQ for the Swedish internet server provider, Bahnhof (Image from Bahnhof)
HQ for the Swedish internet server provider, Bahnhof (Image from Bahnhof)
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HQ for the Swedish internet server provider, Bahnhof (Image from Bahnhof)
HQ for the Swedish internet server provider Bahnhof resembles a classic James Bond film (Image from Bahnhof)
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HQ for the Swedish internet server provider Bahnhof resembles a classic James Bond film (Image from Bahnhof)
The cave-like formation houses server halls and offices (Image from Bahnhof)
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The cave-like formation houses server halls and offices (Image from Bahnhof)
HQ for the Swedish internet server provider, Bahnhof resembles a classic James Bond film (Image from Bahnhof)
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HQ for the Swedish internet server provider, Bahnhof resembles a classic James Bond film (Image from Bahnhof)
The cave-like formation houses server halls and offices (Image from Bahnhof)
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The cave-like formation houses server halls and offices (Image from Bahnhof)
Set 30 meters underground, deep within the bedrock and in what was once used as a Swedish atomic bomb shelter, lies this high security internet center (Image from Bahnhof)
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Set 30 meters underground, deep within the bedrock and in what was once used as a Swedish atomic bomb shelter, lies this high security internet center (Image from Bahnhof)
The idea was to bring human comforts from earth underground, such as plants, light, water and technology (Image from Bahnhof)
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The idea was to bring human comforts from earth underground, such as plants, light, water and technology (Image from Bahnhof)
An underground atomic shelter has been transformed into Swedish internet provider Bahnhof's HQ (image from AF-L)
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An underground atomic shelter has been transformed into Swedish internet provider Bahnhof's HQ (image from AF-L)
Set 30 meters underground, deep within the bedrock and in what was once used as a Swedish atomic bomb shelter, lies this high security internet center (image from AF-L)
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Set 30 meters underground, deep within the bedrock and in what was once used as a Swedish atomic bomb shelter, lies this high security internet center (image from AF-L)
The architects were asked to treat the granite rocks as if they were a living organism (image from AF-L)
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The architects were asked to treat the granite rocks as if they were a living organism (image from AF-L)
Set 30 meters underground, deep within the bedrock and in what was once used as a Swedish atomic bomb shelter, lies this high security internet center (image from AF-L)
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Set 30 meters underground, deep within the bedrock and in what was once used as a Swedish atomic bomb shelter, lies this high security internet center (image from AF-L)
An underground atomic shelter has been transformed into Swedish internet provider Bahnhof's HQ (image from AF-L)
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An underground atomic shelter has been transformed into Swedish internet provider Bahnhof's HQ (image from AF-L)
An underground atomic shelter has been transformed into Swedish internet provider Bahnhof's HQ (image from AF-L)
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An underground atomic shelter has been transformed into Swedish internet provider Bahnhof's HQ (image from AF-L)
Set 30 meters underground, deep within the bedrock and in what was once used as a Swedish atomic bomb shelter, lies this high security internet center (image from AF-L)
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Set 30 meters underground, deep within the bedrock and in what was once used as a Swedish atomic bomb shelter, lies this high security internet center (image from AF-L)
The idea was to bring human comforts from earth underground, such as plants, light, water and technology (image from AF-L)
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The idea was to bring human comforts from earth underground, such as plants, light, water and technology (image from AF-L)
The architects were asked to treat the granite rocks as if they were a living organism (image from AF-L)
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The architects were asked to treat the granite rocks as if they were a living organism (image from AF-L)
The architects were asked to treat the granite rocks as if they were a living organism (image from AF-L)
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The architects were asked to treat the granite rocks as if they were a living organism (image from AF-L)
"We created strong contrasts between rooms where the rock dominates and where the human being is a stranger against rooms where the human being took over totally," says AF-L (Image from AF-L)
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"We created strong contrasts between rooms where the rock dominates and where the human being is a stranger against rooms where the human being took over totally," says AF-L (Image from AF-L)
HQ for the Swedish internet server provider Bahnhof resembles a classic James Bond film (Image from AF-L)
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HQ for the Swedish internet server provider Bahnhof resembles a classic James Bond film (Image from AF-L)
HQ for the Swedish internet server provider, Bahnhof (Image from Bahnhof)
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HQ for the Swedish internet server provider, Bahnhof (Image from Bahnhof)
HQ for the Swedish internet server provider, Bahnhof resembles a classic James Bond film (Image from AF-L)
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HQ for the Swedish internet server provider, Bahnhof resembles a classic James Bond film (Image from AF-L)
An underground atomic shelter has been transformed into Swedish internet provider Bahnhof's HQ (image from AF-L)
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An underground atomic shelter has been transformed into Swedish internet provider Bahnhof's HQ (image from AF-L)
The idea was to bring human comforts from earth underground, such as plants, light, water and technology (image from AF-L)
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The idea was to bring human comforts from earth underground, such as plants, light, water and technology (image from AF-L)
The idea was to bring human comforts from earth underground, such as plants, light, water and technology (image from AF-L)
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The idea was to bring human comforts from earth underground, such as plants, light, water and technology (image from AF-L)
View gallery - 28 images

Set thirty meters (100 feet) underground, deep within the bedrock and in what was once used as a Swedish atomic bomb shelter, lies this high security internet center. What sounds like the perfect hideout for a CIA facility or a film set for the next Jason Bourne film, is actually the HQ for the Swedish internet server provider, Bahnhof. Named "Pionen, White Mountain," the internet service facility is centrally located in Stockholm, directly below the Sofia Church, where the cave-like formation houses server halls and offices.

The architectural firm behind this impressive transformation was Albert-France Lanord (AF-L), which was asked to treat the granite rocks as if they were a living organism. The idea was to bring human comforts from earth underground, such as plants, light, water and technology. "We created strong contrasts between rooms where the rock dominates and where the human being is a stranger against rooms where the human being took over totally," says AF-L. Daylight was obviously one of the biggest challenges for the architects, who designed a long tunnel, allowing for natural sunlight to filter through the underground space, with small buttresses to reflect the light into several zones.

HQ for the Swedish internet server provider, Bahnhof (Image from Bahnhof)
HQ for the Swedish internet server provider, Bahnhof (Image from Bahnhof)

The modest, single front entrance to the bomb resistant "Pionen" is protected by security 24/7. This high level of security provided by Bahnhof only seems fitting for Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, who according to the Daily Mail used the center in 2010 as a back-up server for the numerous confidential emails and documents in his possession.

Source: Architizer

View gallery - 28 images

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ArchitectureSecurityInternet ArchivesCaveShelterServers
8 comments
Bridget Borgobello
Bridget Borgobello
Bridget is an experienced architecture, travel and design writer who has been contributing to New Atlas since 2010. Based between Melbourne and Rome, she and has a keen eye for innovative design, green technology and space saving solutions. Bridget is fluent in Italian and enjoys covering major events in Italy, including the Milan Design Week and Venice Biennale.

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8 comments
Facebook User
Wow home sweet home. I would really love to live there.
Mindbreaker
Better than the bat cave. I am not naturally given to envy but man this place is awesome. The architects did a phenomenal job. They should expand it into a hotel too. They may have to be careful about mildew or other organisms with all the water, water misters, and plants. A coy pond or two would look cool in there. Perfect movie set for a variety of Sci-Fi or action movies. I bet they save a bundle on AC; well maybe not, it is in Sweden. In Arizona...
Too bad you can\'t excavate rock cheaply in the first place, that limits the potential of this sort of thing...there are only so many cold war bomb shelters and missile bunkers.
Trux Tee
very cool datacenter, but propably the oldest news i\'ve ever seen on gizmag..
BZD
That is so old news it\'s embarrassing. What\'s next - the Pentium?
Naveed U S
julian assange has his wikileaks hosted here ...
Gabriel Grove
Dr. Evil would be jealous!!!
Gregg Eshelman
Sprinkle some glitter on the walls and it would look like a set for the original Star Trek series. Some parts remind me a bit of \"A Taste of Armageddon\".
Anyone else notice the floor of the hanging conference room is a picture of the moon?
Slowburn
Mindbreaker If you don\'t mind limestone it can be easily cut with a presser washer.