Designing the Cloud: Power, Infrastructure, and the Role of Architects

By bringing people together within the Architecture, Engineering, Construction, and Operations (AECO) industry and experts from AI-related fields, the ‘AI Salon’ series hopes to foster productive discussion and explore solutions for leveraging AI technology in AECO by bridging the gap between practice and academic research. This four-part series aims to create archives and, ultimately, publications / whitepapers from these salon sessions to share with the broader public and help push the industry into wider technology adoption.

Our first AI+A salon session of 2026 examines the physical infrastructure behind AI, treating the data center as a critical architectural and urban typology. As facilities scale to gigawatt levels and intersect more directly with regional energy systems, new questions have emerged around siting, grid integration, modular construction, and long-term urban impact.

The panel will explore where architects meaningfully contribute within this evolving ecosystem and where the technical, operational, and energy realities shape outcomes. How can these high-demand infrastructures align more productively with cities, communities, and climate goals?

Speakers:
Dr. Marina Otero Verzier, Lecturer in Architecture, Harvard Graduate School of Design Researcher focused on the territorial, environmental, and political dimensions of digital infrastructure.
Iain Macdonald, Principal, Future Energy Systems Development Lead, HKS LINE Architect, urban planner and Future Energy Systems Development Lead.
Nicolas Rader, COO Flexnode Leads the development and delivery of modular data center infrastructure.

Moderators:
Xenia Adjoubei Kwan, Principal, Systematica, Lecturer Pratt Institute
Xinru Liu, Design Technologist, HLW, AI+A Salon Series Curator