How Can Mass Timber Cut Carbon in Meta's Data Centres?

Meta's recent initiatives in sustainable construction could offer a roadmap for contractors and construction professionals seeking to reduce embodied carbon across their projects while maintaining structural performance and meeting demanding timelines.

As data centre construction accelerates globally, the sector's reliance on carbon-intensive materials presents both a challenge and an opportunity for construction firms. Meta's work on alternative building materials, particularly mass timber and low-carbon concrete, could signal a shift in how the industry approaches large-scale industrial projects.

Timber as a structural solution

Mass timber products, including cross-laminated timber and glue-laminated beams, are being engineered for industrial applications that traditionally relied on steel and concrete. For construction professionals, these materials could offer practical advantages beyond their environmental credentials.

Meta is incorporating mass timber into administrative buildings at data centre campuses in South Carolina, Wyoming and Alabama, achieving approximately 41% reduced embodied carbon compared to conventional construction materials. The lightweight nature of mass timber can reduce foundation concrete requirements by up to 50%, which could mean faster foundation work and reduced material costs for contractors.

Blair Swedeen, Global Head of Net Zero and Sustainability at Meta, says: "Sustainably sourced mass timber is a great fit for us because it has much lower embodied carbon than traditional materials like steel or concrete. Using mass timber helps us build in a way that's better for the environment."

The structural properties of mass timber could address concerns construction professionals might have about adopting alternative materials. Thanks to its density and char layer formation, mass timber has exceptional fire resistance, while its ratio of strength to weight can exceed that of steel. These characteristics could make mass timber viable for warehouses and critical data halls, expanding its application beyond administrative spaces.

Meta's 22nd US data centre, under construction in Aiken County, South Carolina, represents an investment of more than $800m across a 715,000 sq ft campus and will support approximately 100 jobs. The Aiken Data Centre marks a departure from traditional concrete and steel construction methods.

Devon Lake, Head of Net Zero Strategy at Meta, says: "When people think about data centres, they think servers and energy demand. They rarely think about the buildings themselves and the embodied carbon locked into every ton of steel and concrete poured during construction. Building the infrastructure for AI doesn't have to mean building the same way we always have."

Reducing concrete's carbon intensity

While mass timber could provide alternatives to steel, concrete remains fundamental to data centre construction. For contractors working to reduce project emissions, optimising concrete specifications could offer immediate opportunities.

Cement production accounts for approximately 8% of global emissions. By substituting traditional cement with proven alternatives such as fly ash, construction firms can reduce carbon intensity by up to 20% below regional baselines without compromising structural integrity.

Design optimisation could also play a role in reducing concrete volumes. Eliminating concrete requirements in electric and telecom duct banks and optimising designs with gravel fill and reduced slab thickness can help drop carbon footprints by more than 30% compared to traditional designs.

Meta is using an AI model with adaptive experimentation toolboxes to optimise concrete mixtures for strength, cure time and sustainability. This system can help achieve 70% emissions reductions while maintaining all necessary performance characteristics. For construction professionals, such tools could provide data-driven approaches to specifying lower-carbon concrete mixes without extending project schedules or risking structural performance.

Blair adds: "We're continuing to actively explore mass timber not only in our administrative buildings but also in warehouses and critical data halls, the spaces that house servers. Mass timber's strength, durability and fire resistance makes it a promising candidate for broader applications within data centre infrastructure and we continue to evaluate these opportunities."