BLOG


BAHNHOF
Ever wondered how it would be like to work inside an ultra-secure bunker buried 30 meters down under granite rocks inside the Mountains? Wonder no more! Bahnhof (German for “train station”) – one of Sweden’s first and one of the largest Internet service provider is housed down below almost 100ft of bedrock. Talk about Batman’s Bat Cave and James Bond movies, this is not your ordinary action film set design! Its rich history and captivating interior design will make you want to visit Sweden.
5 July, 2018
By donlim77 In Blog

Situated in the heart of Stockholm is a former civil defence centre. Pionen is a 1200 square meter anti-atomic shelter built in 1943 located down under the granite rocks of the Vita Berg Park, also known as The White Mountains has been converted into a data center by Bahnhof opened on September 11, 2008 and continues to use the facility till this day. One amazing fact is that it’s capable of withstanding a hydrogen bomb; that is because the facility is being buried under the mountain, secured by a 40-centimeter thick door, and is only reachable by an entrance tunnel.

The previous cold-war bomb shelter now houses 15 full-time employees, with dedicated office space styled to create an atmospheric ‘elements’ concept designed to display the earth’s ‘best’ fundamentals such as light, plants, water and technology. Bahnhof partnered with Albert France-Lanord Architects and focused on human values and creating a welcoming space that people would enjoy working in, rather than a conventionally unwelcoming space to just house an array of technical hardware but in order to create just this the ‘elements’ concept was ingrained not only into the infrastructure but also the design.

To create a sense of bringing the outside in, manipulative lighting was incorporated to establish a concept of time, and to incorporate the nature element, a 2600 litre tank was built in which became home to various saltwater animals. The eccentricity can be seen further through the installation of plant and shrubby landscaping and the incorporation of waterfalls.

The 1110 sqm space was designed into its current magnitude between 2007 and 2008 and over 4,000 cubic meters of solid rock was blasted to create the captivating and outlandish office.

Glass steel work, paint and furnishing, the space was brought to life through visual inspiration from a mixture of 1970’s sci-fi and James Bond movies. A harmonious blend of nature and technology – a truly breath taking experience.