Carbon conscious: Microsoft’s new data centers with cross-laminated timber

by tanya_martins | February 2, 2025 8:43 am

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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.

Source URL: https://www.constructionspecifier.com/microsofts-new-data-centers-with-cross-laminated-timber/

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