The AEW offices
carbon targets. Key elements required to achieve the targets include lowcarbon steel and concrete. Low-carbon steel options we consider for our projects range from recycled steel, EAF( electric arc furnace) use, and new / alternative technologies.” Encouraging sustainable construction With increased demand for AI workloads and other disruptive operations, the data centre industry is having to reckon with how to reduce energy consumption whilst also catering to power-hungry technology. The solution lies in sourcing renewable energy, but also now more sustainable materials.
“ We’ re now seeing a shift – developers are starting to look more seriously at embodied carbon and there’ s a lot that can be done without moving away from steel entirely,” Peter says.“ Specifying lower carbon steel, such as that produced using electric arc furnaces and renewable energy, already available from the US and Scandinavia, is a key short-term step.”
Engineered timber is also a promising alternative, or prefabricated modular solutions – think Vertiv TimberMod,
182 July 2025