Mass timber is rapidly gaining traction as a structural system for data centres, offering speed, precision, and carbon-performance that traditional steel‑and‑concrete systems struggle to match. That is according to David Stallcop, Managing Director of The Stallcop Group, a Washington‑based building materials expert, who said that it’s speed makes it a compelling choice for operators.
“Mass timber is the smartest structural choice available right now for Data Centre construction.”
David Stallcop, Managing Director of The Stallcop Group, who spoke to the organisers of the International Mass Timber Conference in the weeks leading up to next months conference.
Speaking ahead of the International Mass Timber Conference in Portland, Oregon, Stallcop said speed is a major benefit for crews where commissioning timelines directly affect revenue. Mass timber buildings, he noted, “go up fast,” with prefabricated, CNC‑cut panels that “arrive on site ready to install.”
Mass timber is “lighter while still carrying massive loads,” reducing foundation costs and making phased expansion easier. And the material performs well on “sites with poor soils or seismic constraints,” with Mass Ply, CLT, GLT, and NLT meeting the wide‑span, high‑load, low‑vibration requirements of modern halls.
Mass‑timber data centres under construction
Wood Central understands that the following data‑centre projects are either under construction or recently delivered across the United States, with more in development in Europe and the Asia‑Pacific region:
- Microsoft – Northern Virginia: Microsoft is constructing its first data centres using a hybrid CLT system designed to reduce the use of steel and concrete. The project is already under construction and represents one of the most significant timber‑based digital‑infrastructure builds in North America.
- Meta – Aiken, South Carolina: Meta has erected its first mass‑timber administrative building at its Aiken campus and is continuing construction of additional timber‑integrated structures.
- Meta – Cheyenne, Wyoming: Meta is preparing to build additional mass‑timber buildings at its Cheyenne campus, working with Fortis Construction and Mercer Mass Timber.
- Meta – Montgomery, Alabama: Additional mass‑timber buildings are also planned at Meta’s Montgomery data‑centre campus, with construction partners including Hensel Phelps and SmartLam.
Last year, Wood Central reported that timber‑and‑steel hybrid systems could become a material of choice for 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 the 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. As one of the fastest‑growing building segments, he said, “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.”
