Before we took an in-depth look at these pillars of the digital age, we would never have thought to study them. But what are we talking about? Data centers, objects that are both fascinating and mysterious, guarantees of the security of our data. At the heart of our new virtual lives, these protean and almost secret buildings constitute the central object of our study.
As material structures protecting the immaterial, data centers have fuelled our thinking as much as they have raised questions in us. For this report, we are interested in two characteristic dimensions: security and invisibility. To do so, we choose to focus on a leading company specialising in data centers, located in several buildings in Aubervilliers. We choose a major site of the company, perfectly endorsing these two characteristics. Also called “neutral colocation spaces” by Clément Marquet in his thesis, this name shows the complexity of these infrastructures, which are both highly functional and subtly discrete.
As invisible as they are inaccessible, as discreet as they are austere, and as secure as they are aseptic, data centers raise questions. Thus, our main question will be the following: How does the data center skillfully combine invisibility and security, by being established in the city of Aubervilliers ? Indeed, these two characteristics are the result of many questions. How can such a hidden building be so protected? And conversely, how can a place be secured when it goes unnoticed? Are invisibility and security complementary? Or are they inseparable?
All these issues are objects of study for many researchers, especially architects. As creators of structures, the controversies surrounding data centers are a source of interrogation. The architect Soline Nivet, moreover, proposes a study of these built environments in her book where she associates them with great “Hermit crab”, as if hidden under their shell (Architectures et espaces des économies numériques, 2019). Indeed, these new buildings, which did not exist before, offer a new way of considering the functionality of our spaces. These structures, the architect aptly calls them new “species of spaces”. An original vision that has led us to focus in part on the visual aspect of these places, combined of course with a fundamental dimension: security. That’s why, like digital detectives, we’re getting into the game. Mathilde Chantreuil and Brian Akloo put on our observers’ hats to sketch as faithfully as possible the controversial but rich phenomena that these powerful digital guardians constitute.
9h17 : Arriving and visiting Aubervilliers
Tuesday morning, 9 o’clock and a bit, a bitter cold on the thermometer, a beautiful winter light. The dry cold grips us powerfully around the neck and wakes us up. We just got off the metro line 12 at the Front Populaire stop. The city is quiet, empty and deserted by the inhabitants who have gone to work in Paris. Our observation starts around 9:20am, we enter one site, then two, accompanied by our master colleagues. Some data centers are noisier than others, some are dirty and with an almost dilapidated facade. The first one we observe is next to garbage cans, waste, like a big dump heaped in front of this secret building. It is not surprising at all, because at first glance, nothing would make us want to enter.
After a first observation in a small class group, which was not very conclusive, we decided to sneak out together, in order to increase our chances of collecting the feelings of the passers-by. We won’t lie to ourselves, a pair is less frightening than a whole group of students, even smiling ones. In search of true, spontaneous, and especially on-the-spot testimonies, we embark on the second part of our observation. It is after a few wanderings in the empty city of Aubervilliers, that we soak up a particular atmosphere, both industrial and strange. At the crossroads of the Avenue des Chemins de fer industriels and the Avenue Victor Hugo, stands building 260, the headquarter of the company, this imposing building seduces us by its allure and its smooth appearance. In the heart of an industrial zone, where only a few shops face the data center, we are alone. In front of us, a big white gate with a big red light. We summon up our courage and ring the bell. A small door opens and we enter the company’s reception area.
A woman welcomes us behind a bulletproof glass. She is smiling, reassuring and does not seem at all sceptical about our arrival in this unusual place. With her, a former student in communication, we exchange a few words about the object of our observation. We ask her if we can enter to visit. Unfortunately, this is almost impossible. “You could write a letter to the director of the site, to possibly visit, but I can’t promise you anything,” she tells us. Non-professional visits are very rare, but there’s nothing to lose by trying. Therefore, we set about writing our letter, conscientiously. After more than two weeks, the letter remains unanswered. We greet the woman at the front desk after getting a picture of her precious badge flying over her grey polo shirt with the company’s name on it. We then slip away through the same armoured door we entered through.
The green light comes on, then goes off. The lock closes, the cameras are probably watching us, but our mission is over, or almost. We are already delighted to have been able to enter this immense laboratory with a dull facade. This experience, despite a pleasant welcome in the data center, shows us how much security must be irreproachable. Inside, there are gates worthy of an airport hall, and a cleanliness that resembles a dental surgery. The ultra-procedural dimension impresses us, but we leave the building and continue our observation because after all, a letter without an answer is also a response.

10h29 : Interviews with shopkeepers
Material buildings protecting the immaterial, physical structures preserving the non-physical, data centers have fueled our thinking as much as they have erected questions in us. In the book “Data centers, derrière la façade” (Diguet C., Lopez F., 2018), the two researchers describe these buildings as the “strategic infrastructures of our digital lives”. Relatively contradictory because if these objects play a fundamental role in our daily lives, they do not seem to play such an important role within our urban spaces. Almost camouflaged by their banality, they go unnoticed, or almost. Unlike a pretty facade on which we would turn around while walking, data centers are totally the opposite. This invisibility is in fact emphasised by Stephen Graham (Spatial and energy impact of data centers, 2015) who names “stealth” as a major characteristic of these places. Moreover, invisibility is also one of the leading characteristics found in the infrastructure’s studies literature, and in particular in the work of Brian Larkin (The Politics and Poetics of infrastructures, 2013).
It is almost 10:30 am and our observation allows us to apprehend more concretely these guardians of the digital world. The atmosphere is quite cold and deserted, but we remain strong, and try to penetrate the shops facing this marble building. 3 shops, almost similar, along a large concrete sidewalk, a little elevated. We push the heavy glass door and enter the first shop, where the large plastic mannequins give off a somewhat austere atmosphere. In order not to surprise people, we decide to play on innocence and curiosity. We remain evasive in our approach, without mentioning the subject of data centers and we introduce ourselves as students doing a study of the area.
The first shopkeeper, suspicious, answers us very furtively: “I don’t know” or “I never asked myself the question”. We try to greet each word of the saleswomen with a smile, surprised by their ignorance. We enter another shop, filled with wedding dresses, with a festive decoration, a bit unusual. The answers are the same but this time, the term “offices” appears: “I think they are offices; we see a lot of people passing by” she says. We decide to ask her about the visual aspect of the building. “It’s not very beautiful, that’s for sure, but I don’t pay much attention, it’s been there for so long”. In other words, an unsightly place that doesn’t stand out in the landscape. Thus, the mission of invisibility of the data center is successful and the building does not attract the eyes of the inhabitants more than that. One observation stands out, however: a lack of curiosity and interest on the part of passers-by. In Aubervilliers, no one really wants to know what’s behind this big concrete Hermit crab. And when the term “data center” is mentioned, the enthusiasm is not so great.
We leave the shops and start a street interview by calling out to the delivery men and other traders outside. The delivery men are unloading trucks of boxes of clothes and other goods. Some are smoking cigarettes, leaning against concrete plots. A glint of winter sun shines on us, the atmosphere is calm. The data center, in the midst of this dull-colored industrial scene, blends into the landscape.
Almost invisible, of an obvious banality, it harmonises with the dozens of grey facades of the area. We deduce that the building we are observing is really unnoticed. Our feeling will be quickly corroborated by our next interlocutor, a regular shopkeeper passing through the area. “According to you, what is this building in front of us there?” We ask him, pointing to the data center. “That? To me that’s a depot or a warehouse or whatever. If you hadn’t told me about it, I wouldn’t have even paid attention. I don’t even look at that. Because even for numbers 254, 255, it’s the same thing, it’s grey scrap metal” he replies. Rather demonstrative of the invisible nature of the data center, the testimony emphasises the extreme discretion of the structure within the industrial zone. As he tells us, “exactly the same as the others”. Thus, the data center blends in completely with the decor and colours of the buildings that surround it. The obvious banality and discretion is thus pertinently pointed out by the delivery man.
Indeed, this is the common thread in Stephen Graham’s thinking, for whom these buildings are “impossible to identify, except for a handful of infrastructure enthusiasts, […]” (Graham, 2015, p. 35). This observation participates in the opacity that reigns around data centers. But, for these structures it is also a guarantee of quality and security to their customers, which links it with the fundamental security aspect. In the heart of an industrial zone on the verge of obsolescence, the data center is located in a relatively empty landscape, punctuated only by the comings and goings of delivery trucks. This is what Clément Marquet underlines in his work Les data centers enfoncent le cloud : enjeux politiques et impacts environnementaux d’internet. The researcher mentions that these huge infrastructures are often located “in the countryside, taking advantage of acres of cheap land.”

11h02 : Street interviews with the locals
After these exchanges in front of the data center, we decide to go around it in order to interview workers on the side of the Industriel Chemin de Fer Avenue. Keeping the same approach, we come across two labourers in uniform, working on a patch of earth next to the big building. From this building, wires coming from the concrete, like paddles, or air ducts. We assume they are electricians. But who do they work for? Shy, we dare to approach. A man in his forties holding papers in his hand, approaches us. Rather pleasant and smiling, he agrees to answer us. He introduces himself as the head of the works, but what work exactly? We begin by asking him about the building without discussing its function. He immediately seemed surprised, even suspicious. The man starts by telling us that he doesn’t know what the building is, that he knows nothing about it. Surprised by his answer, we decide to dig a little deeper by revealing this time the real subject of our study: data centers. Suddenly, the previously sceptical worker relaxes. In just a few seconds, the discussion takes a new turn, this time free of any doubt on his part. The exchange continues smoothly. The man is a project manager for the air conditioning of data centers.
We understand that although he knew what the building was, he refused to tell us at the beginning of our exchange. The name “data center” as kept secret by the worker underlines the mysterious, almost worrying aspect of the place. As if, even in front of two innocent students, the function of the place should not be disclosed. Duty of confidentiality or professional conscience? We don’t know for sure, but even if it’s short, this attitude tells us a lot about the secretive world of these digital guards. The exchange continues, the man becomes more and more relaxed, sometimes smiling, amused by our unusual study. Carried away by the richness of his testimony, we let ourselves be immersed in the story of his career, within several data centers in the Paris region. This man is our perfect interlocutor: he has experienced every corner of these buildings from top to bottom. We let ourselves be absorbed by his words, revealing an extreme security: “The data center I worked for in Saint-Denis, I don’t remember the name, but it was a very big data center. The biggest one I’ve ever seen, it really impressed me. It’s impressive, it’s very clean, it looks like a laboratory. He concedes that compared to Saint-Denis, the one in Aubervilliers is much smaller. It seems that some data centers are comparable to giant factories. The worker goes on to explain the draconian procedures he faces in his job: “We had a set of specifications and I had to explain the operating procedure, and when I said, ‘You have to make a hole here,’ it had to be there. […] If I say, ‘Oh shit, we planned to make a hole here and finally we have to make it here, we have to redo a procedure, send it to the USA, the USA has to validate it, and in the meantime site stops”. Extremely impressed by the strict rules of the data center, the man compares the building to a huge laboratory, a hospital.
Thus, from entry and exit procedures to the workflow, each worker must follow strict guidelines. Clement Marquet exposed this in his article, talking about doors with fingerprint authentication, and security gates to be passed through (Les data centers enfoncent le cloud : enjeux politiques et impacts environnementaux d’internet, 2019). The description of our interlocutor also reminds us of the fire at the OVH data center. Since this incident, measures have been taken to ensure that information on the APSAD certification standard concerning the construction and operation of the building must be communicated during calls for tender.
Unquestionable procedures combined with invisibility illustrate the desire to keep data centers in a closed universe, protected from view. Thus, invisibility and security go hand in hand in an industrial landscape where the last thing you want to do is attract curiosity, or even worse… stares.
11h58 : Post-observation and final note
We return to the metro station, it is almost noon, and after having spent all morning standing in the cold, we are hungry. Happy to have collected so many relevant exchanges, the testimonies of our various interlocutors corroborated our initial hypothesis: Thus, the two major characteristics of data centers would be closely linked. Both invisible and secure, inaccessible and sanitised, the data centers where these “hermit crabs” of the web succeed in their mission by directly implanting themselves in the Aubervilliers landscape. As if melted into a grey, industrial, almost dull picture, these strategic infrastructures of our virtual lives brilliantly succeed in their mission: to protect our data. We don’t hide the fact that it was very delicate to tackle a subject as unusual and unknown to us as data centers. Indeed, it is difficult to grasp the complexity and the mysterious character of these buildings, so unknown to all, without really confronting them. Without the testimonies, our photographs, street interviews and long-term observation, we would never have been able to grasp the uniqueness and contradictions of these new objects of the digital age.
The first observation in Paris was not conclusive and we were rather perplexed as to the productivity of this method. But during the second observation (the one recorded in this report), the richness of our interviews and the immenseness of the place stimulated us even more to deepen our study. In almost 3 hours of active field observation, we came back with frozen hands, notebooks full of scribbles, telephones full of photos and above all with our minds nourished by various and varied questions. By confronting us with the reality of these objects which have a fundamental role in our lives as connected citizens, we let ourselves be guided by a subject of study with infinite possibilities. Thus, this security aspect of the data center could be approached from the point of view of the security of the personnel working in these buildings. Indeed, if sensitive data were to be revealed, they could attract the covetousness of some. Similarly, in order to support the angles of attack on the data center, it would be relevant to look at the nationalistic aspect of the states, which have control over the data of the web giants. As a result, states could force GAFAM to use data centers based only in the country where they operate. This points out the particular issues of sovereignty of a country and protection of citizens. Thus, we believe that data centers are undoubtedly extremely rich objects of study, sources of great questions and future scientific work.
Moreover, invisible to citizens but nevertheless present in the urban landscape, unknown to all but nevertheless useful to all, data centers are in reality precious mines without which our virtual life and our memories would no longer exist. To take an interest in them is to look at the city differently, because if today the fabric of the city shelters us, human beings, some buildings house our data. Without realising it, we are constantly in relation with the digital world.
Finally, the growing digital age proves to us that the function of the city goes far beyond the boundaries of mere physical life. Perhaps, it is now time to look at the urban landscape differently and imagine that behind those concrete facades and armoured doors are not always human lives… but virtual lives.
OpenEdition vous propose de citer ce billet de la manière suivante :
akloobrian (15 décembre 2021). When urban banality is a guarantee of safety. Comment voit-on la ville ? Consulté le 6 juillet 2025 à l’adresse https://doi.org/10.58079/v7q5