At the Microsoft datacenter near Middenmeer, Noord-Holland, a team of Microsoft employees have started planting trees outside the facility in addition to the ones stored digitally inside. This project marks the start of a long-term effort to ensure that datacenters blend into the natural landscape of the Wieringermeer polder.
Using the tools of biomimicry, a practice that learns from and mimics the strategies found in nature to solve human design challenges, the team started by learning how resilient landscapes function in the province of Noord-Holland. They researched local ecology, including native habitat types and biodiversity, soil health, water and air quality, as well as community agricultural practices. Microsoft then took their findings and determined which landscape solutions could be incorporated to enhance the Middenmeer datacenter campus.
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