DATA TEMPLE
Practice Area: Architecture, Computational Design, Art, Interactive Installation
Type: Professional
Date: AUG 2023
Part of “Otherworld Philadelphia”, Data Temple is an immersive light installation that acts as a speculative server room for a post-apocalyptic AI society. The project explores modular parametric design, mirrored spatial infinity, and visitor interactivity through cable-plug interfaces. As computational designer, I developed the spatial system and fabrication logic; the lighting and programming were executed by Otherworld’s technical team.
Data Temple is an immersive, mirrored light installation at Otherworld Philadelphia, part of a larger speculative narrative in which an AI-led state entity called ATAM builds “communities of the future.” Within this world, visitors arrive in ATAM’s lobby and choose between entering the Factory—where avatars are manufactured—or the Cube, a quasi-divine supercomputer. Data Temple functions as the server room supporting the Mycelium Cube, forming the glowing, beating heart of this digital universe.
As the computational designer, I was responsible for the design logic, modular architecture, and detailed construction documentation of the piece. Drawing on a parametric approach, the space was conceived as a vaulted digital sanctum, built from modular units that mirror endlessly in all directions. Twelve light-bearing columns form the backbone of the piece. Each is composed of four interlocking structural units made of welded steel rod, designed both for ease of fabrication and seamless symmetry. The structural language references sacred architecture and neural networks at once—creating a space that feels like both a cathedral and a motherboard.
The columns are interwoven with hundreds of LED-bearing light tubes that evoke woven data cables—the tendrils of the AI’s mycelial root system. These “cords” seem to transmit information directly through the space and down into the floor, suggesting the flow of data between the Cube and its extended world. Surrounding mirrors—on the floor, ceiling, and walls—multiply the forms into a radiant infinity, dissolving the boundaries of the room and reinforcing its temple-like quality.
Crucially, Data Temple is also interactive. In the center of the room, several columns house modular synth-style cable ports where visitors can physically plug and unplug controllers. Each combination changes the colors and lighting patterns throughout the entire installation. This interactivity gives visitors a sense of agency within the network—as if accessing the brain of the system. While the lighting and sound programming was executed by Otherworld’s technical team, this interactive hardware and spatial logic were built into the computational design of the system from its inception.
The constraints of the space—maximum mirror height, clearance dimensions, and the need for perfect 4-way symmetry—informed every design decision. The mirrored nature of the room required that each component align precisely with its own reflection, and the structure had to accommodate cable routing, visitor flow, and embedded interactivity without compromising its sacred illusion.
