Redefining responsible data centres with a nature-based solution
Data centres aren’t just essential to modern life, they’re now recognised in many countries as Critical National Infrastructure. As digital infrastructure scales to meet growing demand, the responsible development and decarbonisation of data centres has become increasingly important.
That’s why part of our R&D focuses on how Pure DC redefines what responsible digital infrastructure looks like. We want to demonstrate that our data centres aren’t just a hub for digital infrastructure – they can reduce environmental impact and deliver tangible benefits to the local community
With the expansion of our London Brent Cross campus, we explored solutions that don’t just help decarbonise the data centre, but support the local area too.
Our solution: one of the world’s largest living walls - enhanced with biochar
Wrapping around our London Brent Cross data centre, we’re building one of the world’s largest living walls, working with living wall specialists Viritopia. Spanning 7,400 square metres and featuring over 750,000 plants, it’s designed to bring nature back into the local urban environment. The plants have been carefully selected to support biodiversity, providing pollen for bees, nectar for birds, and habitats for insects, while also helping to regulate the internal building temperature, reduce noise, and filter air pollution next to the busy North Circular.
60%
reduced water usage in our living walls
What makes this project truly pioneering isn’t just it’s scale, it’s the use of biochar in the wall’s substrate – a world first. Living walls typically require a lot of water to upkeep, but we wanted to find a way to minimise the water required. We’ve spent the last year testing the use of biochar and found that biochar-enriched substrate can reduce water usage in our living walls by up to 60%.
Biochar also improves plant health and contributes to carbon sequestration, acting as a form of carbon capture. We’re now extending our research to explore replacing peat compost with biochar, which would help prevent carbon release from vital peatland ecosystems during extraction.
The living wall will also serve as a visual and environmental landmark, transforming the appearance of the data centre, integrating nature into the built environment and helping to reconnect local communities with the natural world. It’s a bold statement of intent, showing that digital infrastructure can support urban regeneration.