Microsoft data center exterior

Microsoft Mass Timber Hyperscale Data Centers

Northern Virginia

The First Hybrid Mass Timber Data Centers

Microsoft decreases carbon and accelerates the market for climate-friendly data centers with two hyperscale critical facilities built with unexpected construction materials.
HIGHLIGHTS
  • Two Hyperscale Data Center Facilities
  • A Blueprint for Future Mass Timber Data Centers
  • Sustainably Harvested Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT)
  • CLT Prefabricated Offsite to Reduce Construction Time
  • 35% Lower Embodied Carbon
  • Green and Reclaimed Wood Walls
  • Sustainable Carpets and Furnishings
Microsoft data center breakroom rendering
Challenge

Data centers have quickly become critical utilities for the world’s cities because of the booming demand for computing power, generative AI, and other advanced technologies. To keep up, data providers are building these facilities at a rapid clip. One key challenge developers face is the amount of energy required to power these massive computing centers. Without new innovations, they will continue to generate unsustainable amounts of carbon.

Solution

To make data centers more sustainable, Microsoft has turned to mass timber construction because of its potential to significantly reduce carbon emissions. Gensler partnered with Thornton Tomasetti to build two groundbreaking mass timber hyperscale data centers for the company in Virginia. The facilities will also feature a new look and feel for both interiors and exteriors that celebrates the use of timber and creates an environment of wellness for their employees.

Impact

With these first-of-their-kind hybrid mass timber facilities, Microsoft is driving the future of sustainable data center construction forward. A hybrid cross-laminated timber (CLT) construction system will lower the development’s embodied carbon by 35% compared to conventional steel and by 65% compared to typical precast concrete. Microsoft’s hybrid datacenters are helping the company close the gap between its ambitious sustainability goals and the current demand for data.

Microsoft data center lobby with staircase rendering
Microsoft data center 2nd floor lobby rendering
Microsoft data center open office
Microsoft data center exterior rendering
Areas of Expertise
Recognition
Related Work
A person walking on a path next to a building with trees.

Wonder Valley
Data Centre Park

Alberta, Canada
At full build-out, the 7.5-gigawatt (GW) Wonder Valley development will be the world’s largest AI data centre campus, eventually encompassing 7,700 acres in the Canadian Rockies.
Text:

Global Future Workforce Study

Microsoft needed to understand the motivations, expectations, and mindsets of future generations of talent to foster a forward-thinking culture and workplace.
A high angle view of a building.

Future Digital Data Systems Data Centre

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Gensler’s Critical Facilities design team was tasked with planning the concept and schematic design for a first-generation Future Digital Data Systems (FDDS) data centre that maximises functionality and bestows an aspirational response.
A building with a glass front.

Under Armour Global Headquarters

Baltimore, Maryland
Under Armour’s new global headquarters building in Baltimore’s Port Covington reaffirms the company’s long-term resilience commitment in a building, constructed almost entirely of mass timber.
10 Gresham Street, an office building transformation in London, with a mass timber rooftop pavilion

10 Gresham Street

London, United Kingdom
Gensler partnered with CBRE IM to reimagine 10 Gresham Street, an office building transformation that will usher in a new sustainable future in London.
The Lighthouse amenity space exterior

The Lighthouse

South San Francisco, California
The Lighthouse is a shared amenity space for a community of biotech companies in South San Francisco, that is targeting net zero energy.
A courtyard with trees and buildings.

Walmart Home Office

Bentonville, Arkansas
Walmart’s new 350-acre home office will be fully integrated into the community, and inclusive of the natural beauty of Northwest Arkansas.
A building with cars parked outside.

First United Bank

Fredericksburg, Texas
First United Bank wanted to create an open, inviting environment that serves the community with a design that is sustainable, timeless, and long-lasting.
Fifth + Tillery building exterior

Fifth + Tillery

Austin, Texas
Reviving a post-industrial site in East Austin,  Fifth + Tillery reimagines a large warehouse footprint as a vibrant indoor-outdoor creative office building.
Further Reading
A group of workers in a factory.
Blog

Why Industrial Developments Must Be Good Community Neighbors

How architects and designers can help data centers and industrial facilities become good stewards of the populations they serve.
A row of computer servers.
Blog

Data Keeps Us Going:
How Data Centers Power Society

In today’s digital age, data, and data centers, have become as essential a utility as electricity or water.
A building with mountains in the background.
Blog

From Mill Towns to Cities: How the Mass Timber Revolution Is Impacting People and the Planet

What if there was something the design industry could do to revitalize rural communities with access to abundant, renewable forest resources?
Mass timber building frame close-up.
Blog

5 Things Developers Should Know About Mass Timber

With its inherent structural integrity and positive impact on carbon emissions, mass timber can make a big impact in tackling climate action in the built environment.
DataBank Georgia Tech Data Center
Blog

The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Data Center Design

The increased demands on data centers to perform AI computing is driving architects, engineers, and owners to find innovative design solutions.
A pipe in a concrete wall.
Research

Designing for Lower Carbon Concrete in Data Center Constructions

The construction boom of data centers raises questions about their carbon footprint. We convened industry experts to understand how we can reduce the embodied carbon of data centers with lower carbon concrete.
A large building with a parking lot.
Blog

Data Centres and the Forgotten Landscapes of Digital Infrastructure

Through regenerative design, we can change the perception of data centres from ‘bad neighbour’ developments to community assets.
A group of people in an office.
Blog

The Biogenic Materials Revolution Has Begun and Mass Timber Is Leading the Way

Biogenic materials will be crucial in our efforts to address climate change while also meeting the vast global demand for new buildings and spaces.
Graphical user interface.
Research

Utilizing Waste Heat From Data Centers

We interviewed expert engineers and conducted case study reviews to understand how to reduce the steep environmental costs related to the energy consumption and carbon emissions from waste heat.
A large office space.
Blog

An Evolving Practice: Industrial Architecture

Today, we are seeing production and logistics facilities pop-up closer to, and even within, our cities and communities.
Walmart Home Office rendering
Podcast

Mass Timber: The Sustainable Solution for the Design Industry

We discuss unique considerations and sustainability and structural benefits of mass timber construction.
A close up of a glass tube with air bubbles and green algae.
Blog

Using Algae to Offset the Carbon Cost of Data Centres

Data centres use about 1% of the planet’s electricity and are responsible for about 0.25% of the world’s carbon footprint. What if there were a way to capture those carbon emissions within the building itself?
Interested in working with us?