Designing data centres that respect their surroundings
Last year, we spoke with Alastair McMahon about how Apto approaches environmental, climate and social responsibility (ECS), and how it is built into the foundations of the business.
This article is the first in a three part ‘ECS in action’ series on exploring that approach in more depth. Together, these three areas form a single, integrated ambition: to design, build and operate data centres that perform responsibly over the long term.
That ambition includes a commitment to achieve climate neutrality by 2030, aligned with the Climate Neutral Data Centre Pact. But for Apto, targets only matter if they are backed by practical decisions made early in the lifecycle, long before a facility is operational.
As Alastair puts it, “Environmental, climate and social challenges don’t sit in silos. Decisions you make about land use, power, water or design shape everything that follows – including how a project is perceived by local communities and regulators.”
We begin this series with environment, because environmental responsibility starts well before a site is designed or a shovel hits the ground. It begins with a simple question: is this the right place, and can it be developed responsibly over the long term?
Starting with the site, not the building
Environmental performance is often judged on operational metrics once a data centre is live. But many of the most important decisions are made much earlier.
Apto’s approach puts site selection and early assessment at the centre of environmental decision making. That means understanding ecological sensitivity, land history, water resources and potential impacts from the outset, and screening risks before design begins.
“We’re very deliberate about identifying environmental risks early,” says Alastair. “If a site can’t be developed without unacceptable impacts on biodiversity, water or land, that’s something you need to know upfront – not try to engineer around later.”
This early stage discipline is formalised through Apto’s Environmental and Social Management System (ESMS), which sets out how environmental risks are identified, assessed and managed across the full development lifecycle. It’s designed to be practical, ensuring responsibilities are clear across teams and partners.
Designing for lower impact by default
Where sites are suitable, design becomes the next major lever. Apto’s reference designs prioritise efficiency and resilience, but environmental impact is treated as a major design factor.
That shows up in decisions around cooling, water use, materials and layout. Across projects, Apto is working to reduce reliance on water intensive cooling, favouring highly efficient air-cooled and closed loop systems where possible.
On one project, this removes the need for evaporative cooling altogether, reducing potential process water demand by up to two million cubic metres per year. On another, a closed-loop chilled water system avoids continuous process water use, delivering estimated annual savings of around 240,000 cubic metres for a 24MW facility.
“Efficiency isn’t just about energy,” Alastair notes. “Water, materials, land use – they all matter. If you design properly from the start, you avoid locking in environmental pressure for the next 20 or 30 years.”
Dynamic energy modelling also indicates average annual PUE below 1.35, translating into nearly 20% lower carbon emissions compared with a typical baseline data centre.
Design choices are also guided by recognised industry frameworks and third-party certification, including LEED and BREEAM, alongside EU regulatory requirements and best practice codes for data centre performance. The aim is consistency and comparability, rather than bespoke one-offs.
Protecting and enhancing biodiversity
Data centres are often criticised for their physical footprint. Apto’s position is that development should, wherever possible, leave a site in a better environmental state than it was found.
Apto prioritises brownfield redevelopment where feasible, integrating green roofs and walls into campus designs, and using landscaping to support biodiversity and habitat restoration rather than simply soften the visual impact.
“In some cases, you’re remediating land that’s already degraded,” says Alastair. “In others, it’s about ensuring that development delivers a net gain – whether that’s through habitat restoration, better water management or long-term stewardship of green space.”
Environmental impact assessments play a central role here, not just as a planning requirement but as a design tool. They help shape mitigation measures early and ensure biodiversity considerations are embedded rather than retrofitted.
Environmental responsibility at scale
One of the defining challenges for the data centre sector is scale. Demand is growing faster than infrastructure, planning systems and power networks can adapt. That makes environmental leadership more important and more visible.
“The pace and scale of development puts pressure on everything,” Alastair says. “Developers have to move quickly, but that can’t come at the expense of environmental responsibility. In many cases, it means setting the bar ahead of regulation.”
Apto’s ‘starting with a clean sheet’ position makes that easier. Without legacy designs to unwind, the business can embed best practice from day one and align projects with evolving regulatory frameworks, including EU environmental legislation and investment-grade standards.
Part of a connected whole
Environment is only one part of the picture. Choices about land, water and design directly affect climate outcomes and community relationships – which is why Apto treats environmental, climate and social responsibility as interconnected.
“You can’t separate these things,” Alastair reflects. “Environmental decisions influence climate performance. They influence how communities experience a project. Getting that balance right is what determines whether development is sustainable in any meaningful sense.”
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In the next articles in this series, we’ll explore how that thinking translates into climate – including energy, emissions and resilience – and social, looking at how data centre developments can support local communities and economies over the long term.
For Apto, environmental responsibility isn’t about perfection. It’s about setting clear principles, making informed decisions early and building infrastructure that stands up not just technically, but environmentally, over decades.
