Pure Data Centres plans to build what it says is the world’s largest living wall at its campus in North London.
The 7,400 sqm (79,642 sq ft) installation will adorn the second building at the company’s Brent Cross campus after planning permission for the wall was granted. The current largest living wall is on the Khalifa Avenue building in Qatar and covers 7,000 sqm (75,347 sq ft).
Work has already begun on the site, which is adjacent to Pure DC’s existing London data center and will take the capacity of the campus to 90MW.
The living wall will envelop the new structure and contain more than 750,000 individual plants which will be installed using a modular system. It is hoped they will absorb noise and help filter out air pollution.
Pure DC said in a statement the wall can become a habitat for birds and insects, and will also provide a protective outer layer to the building, helping to reduce solar gain and improve the microclimate.
Dame Dawn Childs, Pure DC’s CEO, said: “The data center industry is facing a critical challenge of building the digital infrastructure needed to support the demands of global data growth in a way that also takes care of the local environment. Gaining planning permission for the living wall is an exciting step in our effort to meet this challenge head-on.”
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Pure was established in 2015 and is backed by funds managed by Oaktree Capital Management. The London-based company currently has more than 250MW of IT capacity in operation or development in markets across Europe, North America, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.
It is planning to enter the Spanish market, having announced the purchase of a 190,000 sq ft (17,650 sqm) site in the Meco area of Madrid in December 2024.
Many data centers already feature living walls. Yondr, for example, plans to install one as part of an upcoming building at its 100MW campus in Slough, West London.
Critics of the walls say they can be costly to maintain, consume a lot of water, and have limited benefits for wildlife if the incorrect plants are used.
Read the orginal article: https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/pure-dc-to-build-worlds-largest-living-wall-at-london-data-center/
