Architecture, Planning, and International Law: On Data Centers

Thu Feb 12 2026 at 06:30 pm to 08:00 pm UTC-05:00

Tata Innovation Center | New York

The Architectural League of New York
Publisher/HostThe Architectural League of New York
Architecture, Planning, and International Law: On Data Centers
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Legal and built environment experts discuss the proliferation of data centers and how to steer us toward more humane infrastructure.
About this Event

Architecture, Planning, and International Law is an open-ended series bringing legal and built environment experts together to discuss urgent topics at the intersection of their jurisdictions.



Event details

Current tech industry speculation relies on a vision of our future completely transformed by the broad implementation of generative artificial intelligence, the consequences of which have already begun to reconfigure our contemporary built and natural environment. As one manifestation of this, data centers—buildings which store the servers and networking equipment that host the internet—are becoming increasingly influential infrastructures, key material pieces of today’s digital world. Combining unprecedented material extraction with an unclear regulatory framework, the data center landscape is evolving across borders, both rapidly and largely without guidelines. As the use of AI expands exponentially, so does the impact of these structures, introducing urgent questions at the intersection of architecture, planning, and law: Where should data centers be built, if at all? What should their design prioritize? How will they impact the surrounding communities and environments? And perhaps most importantly: who decides?

A continuation of the League’s “Architecture Planning and International Law” series and hosted in partnership with the independent research and policy institute Data & Society, this program convenes experts in design and policy from the local to the supranational scales to better understand what informs data centers’ siting and design, encourage engaged participation in these decisions, and help steer us toward more humane infrastructure for a hybrid world.

Learn more here.

Banner image credit: Livia Garofalo




Ticket information and policies

Current Architectural League members receive a free ticket to this and other events throughout the year. To access your fully discounted member ticket or tickets, click "Enter promo code" in the ticket window and enter your Member Number. .


By registering for this event, you are consenting to receive emails from the League and Urban Omnibus. You may opt-out at any time. Additionally, by attending, you grant permission for the League to capture and use photographs and/or videos of you for promotional and archival purposes, which may include but are not limited to social media, newsletters, and website content. If you wish to opt out of being photographed, please contact us prior to the event.

New York State and AIA CEUs are available to League members who attended the live event in its entirety.

This event will not be livestreamed.

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Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Tata Innovation Center, 11 East Loop Road, New York, United States

Tickets

USD 20.00

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