DESIGN & BUILD
Meta has begun experimenting with sustainably-sourced timber as a primary construction material in its data centres – particularly in offices, support structures and low-load-bearing elements.
The switch to timber is expected to reduce the embodied carbon of substituted materials by around 41 % in administrative buildings, with further reductions possible as the company expands timber use into warehouses and even data halls.
Timber is a carbon-sequestering building material, reducing
embodied emissions compared to concrete or steel.
Meta’ s pilot facilities employ cross-laminated timber( CLT) and responsibly harvested wood certified by sustainable forestry programmes.
In addition to lowering the embodied carbon footprint, timber offers design flexibility, biophilic aesthetics and potential modular construction benefits.
If these materials prove scalable and meet structural, fire and safety codes, timber could become a viable standard in“ green build” strategies for future data centre campuses.
CASE STUDY
CREDIT: META