Microsoft will soon get a pair of data centers in Virginia that are constructed using cross-laminated timber (CLT) by architecture firm Gensler.
While typically built from concrete and steel, Microsoft has adopted a hybrid CLT, steel, and concrete construction model for the two centers—the company’s first to be built using wood.
The buildings feature a steel primary structure on top of a concrete base with CLT used to construct the upper floors.
Renders of the centers reveal rectilinear structures that will be complete with cut-out openings, expansive glazing, and wood-clad exteriors.
In 2020, Microsoft unveiled ambitious sustainability goals, including a 2030 goal of being carbon-negative. The two-story centers are currently under construction in Virginia.
