A landscape perspective on data centre design

With an increase in demand for data comes an increase in demand for data centres. Yukako Takanashi highlights how a landscape-led approach can help these sites to contribute positively to local nature recovery strategies.

In the UK, there are over 500 data centres and the demand for data storage is continuing to escalate. The increasing use of cloud computing, big data analytics and digital services is driving high data storage and processing requirements, posing a challenge to industry and government.

According to Savills, the number of data centres will need to increase by almost 2.5 times by 2025 to meet the increased demand for storage in Europe. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) recognises this growing demand for data storage, processing and digital services, whilet the new Labour government has designated data centres as Critical National Infrastructure, and the revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) currently being consulted on emphasises that local planning authorities must make planning decisions that address the need for more data centres.

However, data centres have a significant environmental impact, from energy consumption and land requirements to water consumption and ecological footprint. Reducing the overall consumption and carbon impact of data centres demands further research, design innovation and policy. Some progress is being made by major tech giants including Microsoft, Amazon and Google by sourcing energy from their renewables projects or through Power Purchase Agreements (PPA). For example, Amazon’s wind farm projects in Bäckhammar and Microsoft's PPAs in Sweden and Denmark sourcie contracted electricity from wind and solar farms. But on a global systems scale, there is much work still to do.

So, what can landscape architects offer? Landscape design for large industrial sites has historically been driven by functionality and stringent security, serving the primary purpose of the facility. However, the design ethos for digital infrastructure is on the verge of significant change and landscape designers should play a key part in enabling these sites to become more outcomes-led, to make a positive difference to local nature recovery. Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) is now a mandatory requirement in England and this legislation must be leveraged alongside robust strategies for green infrastructure, landscape character and environmental assessment, incorporating regenerative design principles and utilising land efficiently to unlock the contextual value of sites.

A standout example is a six-hectare data centre campus in south-east England, designed by Gensler Architects and Landscape team. Sitting within the London green belt, the site is currently occupied by industrial businesses and contains a Grade II-listed building which is a reminder of the former farmland.

The project aims to revitalise the site with the introduction of a quality data centre, with the listed building as a functional office at the heart of the development. Surrounding the data centre facilities are a plethora of rich landscapes, connecting the industrial site to the green belt.

The aspiration for the landscape proposal is to restore the aesthetic farmhouse setting, while providing site-wide green infrastructure for ecological enhancement. This is addressed by a mix of green infrastructure including swales and raingardens, an intense biodiverse corridor of scrub planting, species-rich wildflower meadows and green walls.

The landscape strategy is built upon the established biodiversity of the surrounding context, encouraging a diverse ecological habitat. The proposed scheme will increase the green infrastructure coverage from 4% to 26%, resulting in an on-site net habitat gain of nearly 4,000%.

Data centre footprints in a rural context tend to be in the region of 50–60% of the total project area. What’s left is for external uses, such as road circulation, security, stormwater ponds, raingardens, swales and landscape buffers. These spaces provide a significant opportunity to enhance local nature recovery and environmental net gain and help to ensure that degraded brownfield sites can be brought back to life as part of ongoing planning reforms. A landscape-led approach, as ever, is key.

All images: Proposed data centre in Court Lane, Buckinghamshire. Renderer: Renderek. Client: Corscale, Patrinely and Affinius Capital. © Gensler / Renderek

Yukako Takanashi CMLI is a Landscape Design Manager and Technical Lead at Gensler London.