Microsoft Building Two Hybrid Mass Timber Data Centers in Virginia

Architecture studio Gensler and structural engineer Thornton Tomasetti have teamed together to design a pair of hybrid CLT data centers that are currently under construction in northern Virginia for Microsoft, according to a feature by dezeen (1-28-25). The two-story buildings are Microsoft’s first attempt to build the centers using wood.

The facilities are being built with a steel primary structure placed on top of a concrete base with CLT used to construct the upper floors. According to Microsoft, which has more than 300 data centers globally, the timber designs will “reduce the embodied carbon footprint of two new data centers by 35% compared to conventional steel construction, and 65% compared to typical precast concrete.”

Microsoft hopes that the initiative will serve as a precedent for the use of innovative construction approaches elsewhere.

“Working together with partners, governments, and communities is essential to address climate change,” the company said. “Our goal is by trialing materials such as CLT in our datacenters, we will encourage innovation and be a catalyst for inspiring adoption within the datacenter industry and beyond.”