Integrated thinking for next-gen data centres

Data centres are now critical infrastructure. They support AI, cloud computing, digital services, data sovereignty, defense matters and economic competitiveness. Yet they also place growing pressure on power networks, water resources, land use and local communities.

For Deerns, this creates a clear responsibility: to help clients develop data centres that are technically robust, commercially viable, regulation ready and sustainable – responding to the pace of innovation and flexibility required by this rapidly evolving market.

From reporting to strategic decision-making

The sustainability landscape for data centres is evolving rapidly in Europe. In the EU, Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) reporting is now in force for larger facilities, requiring disclosure of key energy and water performance indicators. At the same time, new reference rating schemes, the shaping of minimum performance standards, EU Taxonomy alignment, CSRD-style reporting, permitting requirements, scrutiny around waste heat and water use and increasing grid constraints are all reshaping how data centres are planned, developed and approved.

In the United States, the discussion is taking a different but related form. Local and state level concerns around electricity prices, water use, noise and land consumption are creating public scrutiny and, in some cases, are drawing political attention.

For data centre owners, developers and investors, this means sustainability is no longer only about reputation. It is increasingly connected to:

• Regulatory compliance and future rating requirements
• Permitting, community acceptance and local impact in terms of social value
• Long-term operational cost, asset resilience and flexibility.

This is where engineering and sustainability advisory need to work together.

Site selection in a changing sustainability landscape

Sustainable site selection has become one of the most critical stages in data centre development. The question is no longer just whether a site can be acquired and connected, but also whether it can support a resilient, efficient and socially acceptable facility over the long term.

In a context of geopolitical uncertainty and growing demand for regionally anchored digital infrastructure, data sovereignty is further reinforcing the need for a strategic and carefully considered approach to site selection – within operational hubs that are properly provisioned with the required resources.

Deerns supports clients by combining technical due diligence with sustainable design and ESG assessment to identify sites that are both operationally viable and future ready.

3 key considerations for site data centre site identification:

• Power and water screening, including current constraints and future availability
• Waste heat reuse opportunities and connections to district heating networks
• Physical, climate, permitting and social acceptance risks, shaping the necessary resilience plans.

Decarbonisation as an engineering challenge

Data centres consume significant, and increasing, amounts of energy, and even small efficiency improvements can result in substantial absolute reductions in both carbon emissions and operating costs. As a result, decarbonisation and resource efficiency have become both a technical and strategic priority.

Achieving this requires a detailed understanding of MEP engineering, cooling systems, power architecture, operational redundancy and the complex demands of mission-critical environments.

Deerns’ approach to decarbonising data centres combines 5 strategic focus areas:

• Decarbonisation and energy system engineering including circularity strategies and community impact, certification, and biodiversity
• Sustainable MEP strategies for hyperscale and colocation facilities impacting key indicators such as Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE), Water Usage Effectiveness (WUE), Renewable Energy Factor (REF), and Energy Reuse Factor (ERF)
• Renewable supply analysis
• Resilient resources architectures, such as energy and water
• Future-ready backup strategies

Cooling is particularly important. Free cooling, hybrid systems and opportunities for heat reuse strategies all require careful analysis given the rapid nature of innovation in the sector. Increasingly, waste heat is seen as a valuable resource that can support surrounding buildings and contribute to wider local energy systems. This puts data centres at the heart of a resource synergy between assets in the urban fabric.

Water, circularity and whole life impact

In some regions, water is becoming a defining issue for data centres, especially where cooling demands, water scarcity, or public concern influence project approvals. Water efficiency must therefore be embedded into both design and operations through Water Use Efficiency (WUE) optimisation, dry cooling technologies, closed-loop systems, and water recycling where appropriate.

In addition, data centres can avoid reliance on potable water by leveraging locally available water resources and natural systems, such as river- or seawater cooling strategies, or by using aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES) systems that utilise groundwater aquifers for thermal storage and cooling.

Climate risk and circularity add further complexity. Rising temperatures and changing water conditions can affect cooling performance and resilience. Whole Life Carbon advisory, Life Cycle Assessment and embodied carbon reduction help data centre clients understand impacts beyond operational energy.

3 practical opportunities include:

• Low carbon material specifications and embodied carbon reduction
• Operations optimisation (via tailored and digital modelling) and circular construction strategies, with reuse of components where feasible and extension of equipment lifespan
• Biodiversity integration, landscape strategies and social value creation for the community.

Façade engineering is also becoming more relevant. Clients, communities and authorities increasingly expect buildings that are better integrated into their surroundings.

Modelling resilience, shaping sustainable capacity

Resilience is already central to data centre design, but its definition is expanding to include operations management. While physical security, redundancy and uptime remain essential, climate risk, energy security, grid instability, heatwaves, water availability and supply chain disruption are increasingly part of the same conversation.

Advanced modelling techniques – including CFD, dynamic simulations and scenario-based testing – enable Deerns to assess airflow, temperature distribution, load variability, cooling performance and system failure risks. The aim is not modelling for its own sake, but to understand behaviour when peak or unexpected events occur; enable informed decision-making support by digital simulation of multiple scenarios; validate mitigation measures; and develop resilience strategies that safeguard performance and long-term value while minimising resources consumption.

The future of sustainable data centres will require integrated thinking across engineering, sustainability, regulation, energy, water, circularity and social acceptance. To meet these demands, Deerns combines MEP design and sustainability reporting with an advisory stream that connects ESG regulation compliance with design and capital decisions.