GRESB, the global ESG benchmark for real assets, will launch a new sustainability framework tailor-made for data centres, the industry’s first dedicated global standard for measuring the environmental performance of centres. Developed with Infrastructure Masons (iMasons) and supported by 20 firms in automation, energy, computing, and asset management, the initiative targets the industry’s outsized carbon footprint and complex operational demands.
“Digital infrastructure is a critical part of real assets portfolios, yet data centres present distinct sustainability challenges—from outsized energy consumption to complex operational demands,” said Chris Pyke, Chief Innovation Officer at GRESB. The pilot will develop a set of performance metrics designed for both investors and operators, with full market rollout expected in 2026. It builds on guidance released earlier this year, which explored the merits of reporting under GRESB’s real estate versus infrastructure benchmarks.
As of 2024, 41 entities reported on 842 individual data centre assets across those two benchmarks, laying the groundwork for the new initiative. GRESB’s real estate data reveals a sharp rise in average energy use per asset—from 60 million kWh in 2020 to 76 million kWh in 2024. “As an emerging asset class, data centres are an exciting yet complex investment opportunity,” said Santiago Suinaga, CEO of iMasons. “By providing investors with actionable insights and metrics, this new benchmark will help improve performance while driving long-term value.”
The push for GRESB to sharpen its sustainability metrics comes as major tech firms are rethinking how data centres are built. Earlier this month, Wood Central reported that Meta is the latest to pilot mass timber construction, following Microsoft’s debut last year of the world’s first data centre built using a cross-laminated timber (CLT) sandwich system.
Meta’s first timber-integrated site in Aiken, South Carolina—constructed by DPR Construction with materials from SmartLam—marks a shift away from conventional steel and concrete systems. “Wood has long been considered one of the most sustainable building materials due to its renewability and carbon sequestration during growth,” said Ryan Poole, Global Sustainability Leader at DPR. “Mass timber buildings still consist of concrete and steel, and it is paramount we continue to find the correct balance that helps provide sustainable growth.”
Meta reports that prefabricated timber components can accelerate construction timelines by several weeks and eliminate emissions associated with on-site steel welding. The company estimates that replacing steel and concrete with mass timber could reduce embodied carbon in administrative buildings by up to 41%. Beyond carbon savings, mass timber offers performance advantages in data centre environments. CLT and glulam products offer high strength-to-weight ratios and inherent fire resistance, thanks to their layered structure, which forms a protective char layer when exposed to flames.
“Reaching scale for low-carbon alternatives like mass timber is the challenge for companies constructing the infrastructure of tomorrow,” Meta said. “Our pilot mass timber buildings at data centre campuses can serve as examples for new approaches to accelerate the transition to net zero.”
- To learn more about the push to build the mega data centres of the future out of wood, click here for Wood Central’s special feature. And to learn why the United States is now the king of data centre construction, click here for Wood Central’s special feature from January.
