Sebastian Kovacs
Front End Data Centre Architectural Lead
Data Centres | Front-End Feasibility | Template Systems | Concept Design | Development Approvals
Profile
Architecture professional based in Newcastle, with APE Part 3 completed and NSW architect registration pending, specialising in front-end data centre feasibility, concept design, template systems, masterplanning and approvals support for mission-critical infrastructure.
Over the past three years, I have played a central architectural role in front-end work for major hyperscale, colocation and AI/training campus data centre projects across Australia and New Zealand, contributing to a confidential tier-one data centre portfolio exceeding 8.5GW of planned IT capacity.
My work supports early commercial and development decisions by translating site, planning, infrastructure, technical and customer requirements into clear architectural options, modular data centre layouts and approval-stage documentation. Working with client-side engineering and development stakeholders, I help convert customer and hyperscaler requirements into repeatable architectural modules that can be rapidly tested across prospective sites for power-constrained capacity, staging, planning and approval pathways.
I am particularly interested in roles weighted toward upstream feasibility, template development, concept design and approvals strategy.
Data Centre Capability Summary
Front-End Feasibility & Site Testing: Rapid site yield studies, data hall test fits, massing, campus masterplanning, access/circulation diagrams, staging options and planning constraint review across greenfield, brownfield, urban, suburban and regional sites.
Template-Based Data Centre Prototyping: Developed and applied modular architectural template systems used to rapidly prototype new data centre configurations. These templates allow repeatable data hall, support-space and campus planning modules to be assembled, adapted and tested against site constraints, available power, target IT load, access, staging and planning requirements.
Customer & Hyperscaler Requirement Translation: Worked with client-side engineering and development teams to help convert customer and hyperscaler requirements into architectural layouts, data hall configurations, support-space planning, compound arrangements and approval-stage documentation.
Power-Constrained Yield Testing: Tested data centre layouts against site-specific constraints, available electrical capacity, target IT load, operational efficiency objectives, access, staging and approval pathways.
Approvals & Planning Support: Prepared architectural packs for DA, SSDA, SEARs, planning modification and Complying Development Certificate pathways, sometimes multiple concurrent, working alongside town planners and consultant teams to support complex statutory approvals.
Front-End Design Integration: Build anticipated fire, services, access, circulation, swept-path, truck waiting, security and BCA/NCC requirements into early feasibility and concept layouts, reducing redesign risk and supporting a smoother transition from DA into early design development.
Professional Experience
Front End Data Centre Architectural Lead
July 2022 – Present- ■Deliver front-end feasibility, concept design, masterplanning and approvals-stage architectural packages for a confidential tier-one data centre developer/operator across Australia and New Zealand.
- ■Contribute to a data centre pipeline exceeding 8.5GW of planned IT capacity, spanning hyperscale, colocation, AI/training campus, urban, suburban and regional projects.
- ■Prepare rapid site yield studies, data hall test fits, massing studies, campus masterplans, access/circulation diagrams, staging options, renders, photomontages and stakeholder-facing presentation material.
- ■Develop and maintain modular architectural template systems used to rapidly prototype new campus and data hall configurations across greenfield, brownfield and urban sites, including: co-location data centre modules, urban hyperscale / maximum uptime 24/7 operation modules, and AI/training campus modules.
- ■Work with client-side engineering, planning and development stakeholders to translate customer and hyperscaler requirements into repeatable architectural modules, data hall layouts, support-space arrangements and approval-stage design material.
- ■Assemble and test template modules across prospective sites to assess power-constrained yield, target IT load, data hall capacity, access/circulation, staging, setbacks, services interfaces and planning approval pathways.
- ■Produce architectural DA, SSDA, SEARs, planning modification and Complying Development Certificate packages, including approval drawings, design report inputs, Safety in Design inputs, consultant issue coordination and visual material.
- ■Coordinate architectural information with planning, civil, services, traffic, landscape, fire, acoustic, security and BCA/NCC consultant inputs.
- ■Support client-side land acquisition and early development decisions by translating site, planning, infrastructure and technical constraints into clear architectural options.
- ■Develop custom Revit templates, workflows, rendering systems and SOPs to improve consistency, speed and quality across recurring data centre tasks.
- ■Review and coordinate drawing/model outputs prior to director issue, supporting quality control across fast-moving front-end packages.
- ■Supported complex private residential projects for senior client-side stakeholders, including design documentation, consultant coordination, builder liaison, DA modification support and building approval documentation.
- ■Supported additional commercial and club projects through contract administration tasks alongside directors, including progress claims, variations, defects, site meetings and project correspondence.
Digital Growth & B2B Sales Manager
2017 – 2022- ■Helped scale a technical B2B manufacturing tooling business from approximately $1.5M to over $5M in annual revenue through digital marketing, inbound lead generation and direct client engagement.
- ■Managed Google Ads, technical SEO, website content and social media strategies to generate qualified leads across medical, aerospace, defence, mining, racing and advanced manufacturing sectors.
- ■Built commercial judgement and client-facing communication skills through direct engagement with business owners, technical decision-makers and national manufacturers.
Architectural Assistant
2017 – 2020, part-time- ■Prepared concept design, DA applications and construction documentation for single residential, multi-residential, alterations/additions and small commercial projects, including the Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility.
Selected Project Experience
Due to confidentiality, client names, exact site names and sensitive commercial details have been removed.
Urban Hyperscale Campus - Sydney, NSW: Feasibility, concept development and concurrent DA/SSDA architectural packages for a major hyperscale campus of approximately 500MW, adjacent to industrial and residential interfaces. Prepared approval-stage drawings, massing, visual material and design report inputs, including support for concurrent ancillary development CDC and DA change-of-use approval pathways.
Regional Mega-Campus - Regional NSW: Feasibility, concept masterplanning and presentation packages for a proposed 1,440MW regional data centre campus across two site options. Worked through rapid iterations of data hall templates, campus layouts, access, staging, services interfaces and planning constraints to support internal client-side assessment of site viability and development pathway.
Urban Fringe Masterplan - Western Sydney, NSW: Ultimate campus masterplanning and architectural inputs for SEARs-stage work for a proposed ~730MW data centre campus. Tested multiple site and masterplan options, including yield, access, staging, setbacks, infrastructure interfaces and approval constraints.
Regional Hyperscale Campus - Victoria: Concept masterplanning and site feasibility for a proposed ~1,150MW regional data centre campus, including data hall layout testing, staging, access and services interface coordination.
Urban Colocation Campus - Melbourne, VIC: Architectural DA package for the first campus stage of approximately 150MW, with concept design support for subsequent campus expansion.
Suburban & Regional Approvals - WA & ACT: Prepared targeted feasibility, concept design and DA-stage architectural packages for multiple data centre sites, including major campus planning, staged development options, approval drawings, visual material and consultant coordination.
New Zealand Data Centre Projects: Supported feasibility, concept and redesign work across multiple New Zealand data centre sites, including suburban and regional campus options.
Substation & Infrastructure Interface Projects: Prepared early-stage architectural and planning support for major electrical infrastructure associated with data centre campus development, including substation interface studies, site planning, access, massing and approval-stage visual material.
Registration & Education
Registered Architect: APE Part 3 passed; NSW Architects Registration Board registration pending
APE Part 3: Passed 18 June 2026
Accredited Assessor: NatHERS Accredited House Energy Rater, HERA No. HERA10385
Master of Architecture: University of Newcastle, completed July 2020
Bachelor of Architecture: University of Newcastle, completed 2011
Technical & Digital Skills
Advanced / Strong: Revit, Twinmotion, Nearmap, Photoshop, Excel, Microsoft Teams
Working / Project Use: InDesign, PowerPoint, Aconex, Revizto, Microsoft 365, Google Workspace
Automation & Digital: Dynamo, Google Ads, SEO, web development
Referees
Available on request.