As the data center industry continues to struggle to meet the increasing demands for capacity, it is also facing an arguably bigger challenge of how to achieve this alongside its ambitious net zero goals.

The Uptime Institute has predicted that this year will mark the start of a “challenging period” for the data center sector that is set to last until 2030, as “organizations struggle to meet sustainability goals and reporting requirements, battle with regulators (and even some partners), and strive to align their corporate goals with wide sustainability objectives."

Certainly, the European Commission has been quite clear, stating: “Data centers and telecommunications will need to become more energy efficient, reuse waste energy and use more renewable energy sources.  They can and should become climate neutral by 2030.”

In order to address this, there has been a considerable focus on sustainability solutions in the sector, with major advances having been made in cooling technology, energy efficiency, and renewable power delivering strong savings. However, there are also opportunities on the Circular Solutions Advisors (CSA) side that are starting to gain traction and have the potential to make a considerable difference.

Whilst the recycling of steel, where it is melted down, is commonplace despite the additional carbon emissions created by its processing, the reclamation and reuse of existing steel structures is not. It is not a new idea but the data center sector, alongside construction in general, has been slow to adopt it despite clear benefits around the reduction of the embodied carbon.

In the UK, there is no legislative requirement to dismantle or reuse steel, with an average of just five percent of any demolition being reclaimed. Yet current estimates obtained from studies by structural engineers Symmetrys, and supported by findings from the University of Aalborg, show that embodied carbon can be cut by 80 percent in comparison to typical procurement routes. These are big numbers!

There are, of course, some real challenges around the reclamation and reuse of steel. It is generally cheaper and easier to demolish rather than deconstruct a steel structure due in part to health and safety concerns around other dangerous metals onsite. Also, a lack of traceability creates uncertainty of its structural properties so additional testing is needed to ensure that reused steel sections are still fit for use and comply with current standards.

Availability is also key, so it requires architects and structural engineers to be flexible in their designs as steel availability is often subject to frequent changes. However, this could be overcome through standardized construction blueprints and/or prefabrication – something that is increasingly common.

There are also concerns about the quality of finish achievable on reused steel, which might be corroded or damaged when it is dismantled and may not be acceptable for some organizations. Finally, we may need to manage client expectations as to the cost of ‘second-hand’ products.

At BCS, we are committed to ambitious ESG standards and taking the lead in innovation. As such we are working closely with these ‘circular steel’ initiatives and championing it with our clients where applicable.

We were recently appointed as both project manager and health and safety manager for two separate demolition and reclamation projects in the UK which involved large-scale civil site preparation and enabling works, readying the sites for the construction of a hyperscale data center.

The first involved the demolition of a 78,000 sqm site within 5m of a Network Rail asset and in close proximity to residential dwellings. Overall, 69,000 tonnes of steel were reclaimed with an estimated carbon reduction of 1,693 tonnes (tCO2e) compared to new steel.

The second project saw us support the deconstruction of a 90,000 sqm portal frame building made up of 4,000 tonnes of primary steelwork.  The repurposed steel now stands erected proudly in Ireland as part of a wellbeing retreat, saving 6,774 tonnes of carbon.

These projects have given us first-hand experience of dealing with many aspects of ‘circular steel’ putting us in a strong position to advise our clients of their options.

It is clear that there are potential barriers to the much-needed mass industry take up to make this work, and the supply chain will need to adapt to these new procurement models – but the carbon reduction rewards are significant. For each project, it will involve a calculation of the upfront commercial impact (including time, cost, and liability) versus the carbon benefits.

However, as global efforts to achieve net-zero emissions intensify, data centers will continue to be in the spotlight of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) regulations.

Adhering to these means significant financial burdens, including compliance costs and investments in sustainable solutions, with potential penalties for non-compliance. The reclamation and reuse of steel is one of the options available to help mitigate this.