E N D - U S E R I N S I G H T

For the full interview featuring more insight into sustainable practices in data centres and the pivotal role

Design and of design and collaboration , visit the Intelligent Data interdisciplinary

Centres site , scan below collaboration are crucial or click here . for promoting a greener culture within data centres .

Deborah Andrews , Professor of Design for Sustainability and

Circularity at London South Bank University , emphasises the need for designers to consider the environmental impact of their decisions throughout the product life cycle , and encourages further efforts into awareness , education and incentives for all current or prospective stakeholders and talent .

What does your day-to-day look like as Professor of Sustainability and Circularity at London South Bank University ?

It ’ s quite diverse . Sometimes I ’ m completely immersed in research with colleagues or partners outside the university ; on other days I teach , or I ’ m involved in enterprise projects . Whether that means I ’ m a renaissance woman or a jack-of-all-trades depends on your stance , but I would say that 99 % of the activities that I engage in are related to sustainability in some way .

Although I ’ m working with people in the industry and trying to encourage change , I also work with students and encourage them to think about sustainability but also improving it ; eventually it becomes reflexive and intuitive , and it ’ s something that they will do automatically .

How do you see the role of design in promoting sustainability and circularity within the context of data centres , and what specific design principles do you believe are crucial for achieving these goals ?

We ’ re very aware that the sector has developed rapidly , along with the general scale of development – it ’ s absolutely astonishing . Emphasis has been on service provision rather than thinking about the wider implications of decisions – incremental tweaks have been made rather than really understanding first principles .

We ’ ve ended up designing products that are suitable for a linear economy , in other words , they ’ re designed for life up to its service without any consideration of what happens at end-of-life . This isn ’ t ultimately when products are no longer usable , but when they come to mid-life , when they might no longer meet a first customer ’ s requirements . Design doesn ’ t accommodate how could they be improved or upgraded , for instance .

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