3 Signs Mass Timber is Growing on Data Centers

Data center construction is a complex, lengthy process requiring tremendous resources to build and maintain. Owners, designers, and general contractors alike have been working hard to make these massive campuses more sustainable from beginning to end. That is why eco-friendly mass timber options are gaining visibility and interest.

While there are no widely reported completed mass timber data centers in the United States (as of May  2024), there is evidence that mass timber will show up on projects soon:

1. New products for data centers are emerging from companies like Vertiv which introduced prefabricated modules using mass timber instead of steel.
2. Industry conferences are hosting sessions discussing the potential of mass timber for data centers.
3. Data center contractors are reaching out to partners like Polygon to explore risk mitigation options should designs be converted to CLT or other mass timber material.

“Last year our conversations about mass timber revolved around multi-family and cultural center projects,” explains Tina York, Senior Director of Client Development at Polygon. “Now we are discussing how to monitor moisture in CLT and IAQ levels in their [data center] administration buildings. Wood has a lot of advantages over steel and concrete and our clients want to inject as much sustainability into their projects as possible.” 

Why use wood for data center construction?

Engineered wood like CLT and other mass timber products give data centers three key advantages. York summaries them in three key areas according to how clients have explained it:

• Aesthetics – The admin buildings house most of the data center staff. Wood is beautiful and if they can start using it, they want it to be where people can enjoy it first.
  
  
• Speed and Simplicity of Construction - Wood can go up fast especially if it is pre-constructed. Previous data center designs would take 2 years to complete. Using mass timber for some of its buildings can be reduced to 18 months. Every day matters.
  
  
• Sustainability, Embodied Carbon – Less steel and concrete all help drive down the overall carbon footprint of the building.

Challenges data centers face with mass timber

Mass timber products inherently have moisture and while it can introduce moisture into the building, it is the acclimation of the material and moisture management to protect the critical material. Contractors need to maintain ideal conditions and monitor moisture content to verify the investment made to use mass timber is well-protected. Managing conditions for the wood materials is just another factor in the overall data center climate management strategy.

Conclusion

Polygon helps general contractors manage the environmental conditions of data centers and other critical infrastructure. Our ExactAire product line includes temperature, humidity, and wood moisture content sensors that can be connected to climate control equipment for proactive management and risk mitigation. We have experience in mass timber projects across the US.

To learn more about wood moisture monitoring, visit Wood and Concrete Moisture Management.