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Data centre operators are under pressure to decarbonise – and operational efficiency is no longer enough. The carbon locked into construction materials is now under the spotlight. For builders, that means new expectations, new workflows and a new kind of accountability on site.

Looking Beyond Operational Emissions

Carbon conversations in the data centre world tend to revolve around operations: cutting consumption, switching to renewables and improving performance.

And with good reason. In the United Kingdom, data centres already consume up to 2.5 % of the nation’s electricity, and this could rise to around 6% by 2030 – a trend flagged by industry analysts in .

But there’s a quieter carbon story playing out behind the scenes: the emissions locked in before the servers even arrive.

Steel and concrete – two of construction’s most carbon-intensive ingredients – dominate the emissions profile of a typical data centre. Globally, cement and steel account for . 

More than  are now setting net zero targets. To achieve them, they must address all sources of emissions – including those embedded in the construction of buildings.

This puts new expectations on builders and contractors.

Visualisation of components to consider in WLCA for data centres and an approximate breakdown of lifecycle module A-C emissions.

Source: , 2022. Illustrative only.

Why Embodied Carbon Matters

Embodied-carbon emissions are generated across a building’s entire lifecycle – from raw-material extraction to the transport of products, from powering construction machinery right through to demolition and disposal.

The (UKGBC) estimates that buildings account for 25 % of the UK’s total greenhouse-gas emissions. Operational energy currently produces the majority, but UKGBC’s Whole-Life Carbon Roadmap projects that embodied carbon will represent about 50 % of built-environment emissions by 2035 as the grid decarbonises .

In other words, as more buildings switch to 100 % renewable electricity, the proportion of emissions created during construction becomes the dominant slice of the carbon pie – effectively “locking-in” the majority of a project’s emissions before anyone steps through the door or switches on a server.

Embodied Carbon Sources Across the Building Lifecycle

Hidden Emissions, Big Impact

When it comes to data centre construction, one big source of emissions stands out: concrete.  of a data centre’s embodied carbon emissions.

According to analysis by global architecture firm , reducing the amount of concrete used in a data centre through efficient structural design is the single most effective strategy. This is followed by material quality. High-performance aggregates and optimised mix designs can reduce the amount of cement needed.

But here’s the kicker. Gensler’s analysis suggests many of the emissions linked to supply, transport and rework aren’t captured – because they aren’t tracked.

Cracking the Carbon Code

Some project teams are already embedding embodied carbon tracking into digital workflows. Using �鶹��Ƶ, they can: