The AEW offices
“Key elements required to achieve [ low-carbon ] targets include low-carbon steel and concrete”
IAN WHITFIELD CTO, PURE DATA CENTRES GROUP
long-term cost planning difficult and exposes the industry’ s heavy reliance on a limited material supply chain.”
Steel remains integral to the data centre industry, with plenty of buildings being framed entirely by the material.
“ Given the engineering properties, price point and availability of steel,
it currently seems unlikely that any other material will supplant steel for data centre structures for the foreseeable future,” Gavin notes.
Such a reliance on one material has led to companies exploring alternative steel solutions to avoid design and build challenges. For instance, Pure Data Centres Group has incorporated lowcarbon steel into the core of its design to achieve an average recycled content percentage for structural steel at its London Brent Cross data centre campus.
The company’ s Chief Technology Officer, Ian Whitfield, explains:“ We require our supply chain to certify and validate the carbon footprint associated with the sourcing, transport and manufacturing of their product through Environmental Product Declarations( EPDs). At our Brent Cross site, 98 % of our structural steel has been certified.
“ We set a carbon budget, defining how we can achieve our project-specific
180 July 2025