Timber-and-steel-based building systems could become a material of choice for “big box” industrial buildings, especially in the fast-paced data centre industry, where lightweight building systems easily accommodate expansion and changes to operational use. That is according to Mark Thomson, one of the judges of this year’s World Architecture Festival’s Completed Buildings – Production, Energy and Logistics category.
“We’ve had things like power plants, concrete plants and data centres…buildings that you think are not very sustainable. But when you think of the design constraints, they’re quite remarkable buildings,” Thomson told Wood Central today. And as one of the fastest-growing building segments, “prefabrication and design for disassembly play a crucial role in ensuring that the architects behind these projects are part of the climate solution, not the problem.”
Introducing the CLTimber Bay System – a new solution for data centres?
Yesterday, Sterling Structural – the company behind the world’s first mass timber training kit – launched the CLTimber Bay System, a new building system that utilises an optimised grid structure designed for warehouses, data centres, and large-scale retail facilities. Wood Central understands that the CLTimber Bay System combines the environmental benefits of mass timber with the speed and efficiency of a pre-engineered solution:
“As the industrial and commercial sectors evolve, developers are prioritising building systems that deliver both environmental performance and construction efficiency,” said Michaela Harms, Vice President of Mass Timber at Sterling Structural. “Our CLTimber Bay System responds to this shift by providing a sustainable and turnkey mass timber solution that’s optimised for performance, flexibility, and constructability—delivering on site, on time, and budget.”
And unlike traditional suppliers, Sterling Structural offers a comprehensive, fully engineered building solution that encompasses structural design, CLT supply, structural steel, connection hardware, and installation through its trusted network of partners. This integrated approach streamlines procurement, reduces job site coordination, and keeps projects on track with domestically sourced and manufactured materials that are reliably delivered to the project site.
- To learn more about the CLTimber Bay System, click here to find out more information. And to learn more about how mass timber is increasingly being used by big tech companies to build data centres, click here for more information.
