Wooden server rooms – model for the future or a dead end?
From raw material to data centre: why wood is rapidly emerging as a serious alternative in IT infrastructure
For decades, steel and concrete have defined the architecture of data centres. Now, wood is increasingly entering the conversation as a viable and sustainable alternative. What may sound contradictory at first – high-tech systems housed in timber structures – is becoming an industry trend. The question is whether this represents a forward-looking model or a risky ecological experiment.
A booming market for sustainable data centres
The global market for “green data centres” is expanding at high speed. In the United Kingdom alone, Credence Research forecasts growth from £2.88 billion in 2024 to £12.02 billion by 2032 – an annual growth rate of 19.55%. A similar picture emerges in Europe: ResearchAndMarkets expects the sustainable data centre segment to nearly double from USD 8.88 billion in 2023 to USD 16.89 billion by 2029.
Several drivers are fuelling this shift: more stringent environmental regulations such as the German Energy Efficiency Act (EnEfG), rising energy prices and growing demand for scalable, environmentally responsible digital infrastructure. As organisations search for ways to reduce the environmental impact of their IT operations, timber is moving into focus as an alternative construction material.
Cross-laminated timber: a game changer for IT infrastructure
Cross-laminated timber (CLT, also known as X-LAM) is at the heart of modern timber data centre construction. Made from layers of wood glued together at right angles, CLT combines structural integrity, predictable fire performance and strong sustainability credentials.
Interest from major technology companies underscores the material’s relevance. Microsoft is deploying CLT in new data centres in Virginia, achieving a 35% reduction in embodied CO₂ compared with steel and a 65% reduction compared with precast concrete. Sweden’s EcoDataCenter is building large-scale facilities using timber frameworks, while Celeste operates a five-storey data centre near Paris built with a load-bearing timber structure – now considered a model project for sustainable IT infrastructure.
CO₂ balance: comparing environmental footprints
A substantial share of a data centre’s lifetime emissions is generated before it goes online – through construction and material production. Timber markedly improves this balance.
Key environmental advantages include:
- Carbon storage: Each cubic metre of timber used in construction stores around one tonne of carbon and avoids roughly 600 kg of CO₂ associated with concrete production.
- Lower lifecycle emissions: According to studies, timber buildings emit only around 57% of the greenhouse potential of comparable reinforced concrete structures.
- Reduced embodied energy: Timber construction requires up to eight times less grey energy than concrete.
- Thermal insulation: With a thermal conductivity of 0.13 W/mK (compared with 2.1 W/mK for concrete), timber reduces or eliminates the need for additional insulation.
- Circularity: CLT components can be recycled or reused at the end of their service life.
Technical challenges: fire protection and security
For many IT managers, fire safety is the first concern when considering timber. However, modern CLT performs exceptionally well – and in some respects better than traditional materials.
“Wood behaves in a benign and predictable manner in the event of a fire,” notes proHolz. During a fire, the outer layer of CLT chars, forming a protective barrier around the structural core. The burn rate of roughly 0.7 mm per minute is highly predictable, simplifying fire safety engineering.
CLT elements readily reach F120 fire resistance ratings, exceeding requirements set out in EN 50600 for data centre construction. Timber structures also avoid issues such as explosive spalling seen in reinforced concrete.
Security requirements can likewise be met: massive timber elements (≥ 140 mm) in combination with standard alarm and monitoring systems provide the intrusion protection expected in data centre environments.
Timber modules in practice: the IT Container Eco Fix
A concrete example of timber construction in the data centre industry is Prior1’s IT Container Eco Fix, a modular CLT-based data centre unit.
The module accommodates four full-size 19-inch racks, offering the capacity of roughly five conventional 42U racks. Delivered fully pre-equipped with cooling, power distribution and security systems, the unit demonstrates how timber and high-performance IT requirements can coexist.
Energy efficiency is a central advantage:
- Timber’s natural insulation reduces cooling demand.
- Highly efficient redundant cooling with natural refrigerants delivers very low PUE values.
- At low outdoor temperatures, indirect free cooling takes over entirely, eliminating the need for active refrigeration and significantly reducing operational costs.
Economic benefits: shorter construction and lower operating costs
Beyond environmental advantages, timber data centres offer economic benefits. Construction typically takes four to nine months – far less than the 15 to 24 months required for traditional steel and concrete buildings. Modular units such as the Eco Fix can be installed within days.
Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) assessments show that although initial investment is somewhat higher, lower operating expenses compensate quickly. Prior1 reports that the Eco Fix costs only about 10% more than conventional container solutions, with energy savings rapidly offsetting this difference.
Regulatory pressure as an accelerator
Stricter regulations make the economic and environmental advantages of timber even more attractive. The German Energy Efficiency Act (EnEfG), in effect since November 2023, sets ambitious requirements:
- From July 2026: New data centres must achieve PUE ≤ 1.2 and ERF ≥ 10%.
- From 2027: 100% renewable electricity.
- From 2030: Existing facilities must comply with PUE ≤ 1.3.
In addition, mandatory CO₂ accounting will apply to new buildings over 1,000 m² from 2028 and to all new buildings from 2030.
Given their thermal performance and significantly lower embodied emissions, timber-based data centres are well positioned not only to meet but exceed upcoming regulatory benchmarks.
How wood is shaping the IT world of tomorrow
Timber-based data centre concepts are at the beginning of a steep innovation curve. Emerging technologies further expand their potential:
- AI-assisted planning: Digital twins and Building Information Modelling (BIM) enable millimetre-precise prefabrication of CLT elements, integrating cable ducts and technical installations early to minimise rework.
- AI-driven fire detection: Machine-learning-enhanced thermal monitoring identifies micro-anomalies long before they pose a safety risk.
- Cradle-to-cradle design: CLT components are engineered for disassembly, recycling or direct reuse. Prior1’s Eco Fix even includes a take-back option, returning materials to the circular economy at end of life.
These developments suggest a transformative shift: data centres evolving from high-emission “technology cathedrals” into a sustainable backbone of the digital era.
Conclusion: More than a passing trend
Timber data centres are not an ecological novelty—they are a credible, technically robust and increasingly established alternative in the IT infrastructure landscape.
With shorter build times, improved energy efficiency and significantly lower carbon footprints, timber is becoming a competitive option for everything from edge deployments to mid-sized and even large facilities.
Examples from Microsoft, EcoDataCenter and Prior1 show that timber construction is not just a vision of the future but a practice already entering the mainstream. As technical expertise grows and regulatory pressure intensifies, remaining reservations are likely to fade.
Further information
Organisations seeking deeper insights into the technical and sustainability aspects of Prior1’s Eco Fix can find detailed analyses in the white paper “IT Container Eco Fix – Sustainable Data Centre Infrastructure for a Digital Future.”
It covers, among other topics, R290 cooling technology, the carbon-storage effect of CLT, and compliance with EnEfG, the EU taxonomy and EN 50600.
