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The move strengthens Woolpert’s global design capabilities to support accelerating demand for data centers and industrial redevelopment across Europe. 

LONDON (April 21, 2026) — As demand accelerates to repurpose industrial and logistics sites for next‑generation infrastructure, Woolpert has acquired UMC Architects, a U.K.-based architecture firm known for its industrial, logistics, and large‑scale redevelopment expertise. The acquisition strengthens Woolpert’s ability to deliver its integrated architecture, engineering, and geospatial solutions across the region.

Since its founding in 2012, UMC has grown to over 90 design staff across its three offices in Newark, Manchester, and London. The full-service architecture firm has delivered architecture, master planning, BIM, urban design, feasibility studies, and refurbishment services for clients across the U.K. and Europe, including Amazon, DHL, Ikea, Coca‑Cola, and the BBC.

UMC is widely recognized for its expertise in industrial, logistics, and television and entertainment design, as well as specialized experience in transportation and manufacturing facilities — capabilities that align with and enhance Woolpert’s growing data center practice. Woolpert has provided data center design services throughout the U.K. and Europe since 2022, following its acquisition of Sheehan Nagle Hartray Architects (SNHA), a Chicago‑ and London‑based, award‑winning data center architecture firm. With the addition of UMC, Woolpert now has more than 600 employees throughout Europe.

The acquisition comes amid sustained growth in Europe’s data center market, driven by cloud adoption, AI workloads, and rising digital infrastructure investment. At the same time, land and power constraints are accelerating the redevelopment of industrial and logistics sites across the region.

Together, Woolpert and UMC are uniquely positioned to help clients transform underutilized industrial and logistics assets into modern, high‑performance facilities including distribution, advanced manufacturing, and data centers.

“Joining Woolpert allows us to build on our strengths while significantly expanding the scale and impact of what we can deliver,” said UMC Architects Director Matthew Duffin. “By combining Woolpert’s data center experience with UMC’s industrial and logistics expertise, we can guide clients through increasingly complex redevelopment projects across the U.K. and Europe.”

UMC Architects Director Matthew Salanyk added, “This is a defining moment for UMC and a natural next step in our growth story.  We have built a practice with a commitment to industrial architecture and a clear purpose to be best in class. Becoming part of Woolpert gives our team access to a broader platform and a global network that will allow us to take on more ambitious projects and continue investing in the talent and culture that define who we are.

Woolpert President and CEO Neil Churman said the addition of the UMC team brings local insight, technical depth, and hands‑on delivery experience that will strengthen Woolpert’s integrated service offering throughout the region.

“We’re excited to welcome UMC’s talented professionals to Woolpert and continue building our team in the U.K.,” said Churman. “This is more than an acquisition — it’s a partnership built on shared values, complementary strengths, and a common focus on delivering exceptional results for our clients as they navigate an increasingly complex built environment. UMC exemplifies our commitment to growth, job creation, and community stewardship across the U.K. and throughout the world.”

About Woolpert
Woolpert is a global leader in architecture, engineering, and geospatial (AEG) services, with over a century of experience driving innovation and delivering impact. We fuse deep technical expertise with a forward-thinking mindset to solve complex challenges across the public, private, and government sectors. Woolpert is proud to be a certified Great Place to Work, a Top 25 Building Design+Construction firm, a Top 50 Engineering News-Record Design firm, and a Global Top 15 Global Geospatial company. Woolpert operates from more than 75 offices across five continents—building smarter, more resilient communities around the world. Learn more at woolpert.com.

About UMC
UMC Architects is a leading UK industrial architect specializing in distribution and logistics, television and entertainment, transportation, and manufacturing design. Operating from offices in Newark, Manchester, and London, UMC’s team of over 90 talented designers deliver architecture, master planning, BIM, urban design, feasibility studies, and refurbishment services for clients across the U.K. With a Director-led approach to every project and a commitment to combining design excellence with an exceptional client experience, UMC has masterplanned thousands of acres and delivered millions of square feet of floor space for some of the world’s most recognised organisations. Learn more at umcarchitects.com.

Perched in the Indian Ocean, the lush subtropical island of Mauritius is blessed with magnificent natural beauty and an abundance of attractions. To improve the port facility and expand tourism in the island’s economy, this multi-phase project included urban planning of a new public waterfront promenade and urban core with a passenger ferry and cruise terminal. The promenade design links the Le Salinas historic downtown area and the passenger terminal, as well as planned private developments and public parks.

Woolpert delivers industry-leading strategic planning and consulting services to owners, developers, and stewards of the built and natural environment. Whether guiding land use, infrastructure, or environmental planning, we provide geospatial project consulting, infrastructure planning solutions, and urban and regional planning support to help clients make informed decisions that shape stronger, more resilient communities.

Behind every swipe, tap, and click, from streaming Bluey on a Saturday morning to AI-assisted remote surgery connecting a specialist in Singapore to a patient in regional Queensland, data centres are quietly powering the systems we rely on every day. 

Although Asia–Pacific data centres are increasingly becoming part of the public conversation, they are often misunderstood. Beyond the headlines, they underpin real-time services, digital economies, and the infrastructure required to support a rapidly digitising region. They enable us to connect, learn, work, and access critical services, forming the backbone of a more connected and resilient society. As digital demand accelerates, so too does the importance of getting this infrastructure right. 

Asia–Pacific Data Centres: A Defining Growth Market 

Despite the U.S. and Europe leading in terms of gigawatts of data centre capacity, the Asia–Pacific data centre market is now one of the fastest‑growing globally. Investment is projected to exceed $58 billion by 2027, with capacity expected to grow by more than 60% by 2030. 

According to a KPMG report, mature markets with established digital infrastructure include Hong Kong, Singapore, Seoul, Tokyo, Beijing and Shanghai, while emerging markets such as Thailand, India, Indonesia, and the Philippines are viewed as having significant growth potential. 

The drivers behind Asia–Pacific‘s immersive growth are structural and sustained: rising digital consumption, widespread cloud adoption, the rapid expansion of AI workloads, and increasing government focus on data sovereignty and localised infrastructure. This is not a short-term cycle, but a fundamental shift in how economies are built and supported. 

Source: Moody’s (2025) APAC data centres: Dispersed growth, unique challenges

Australia’s Role in Regional Expansion 

Australia sits at the centre of this transformation. Sydney and Melbourne are already among the world’s leading data centre markets, with demand continuing to outpace supply. Together, these cities serve as the primary engines of Australia’s digital economy and AI infrastructure, with Sydney alone home to more than 100 data centres. 

Greenbox, a Woolpert Company, has delivered several of Sydney’s most recognisable data centres. These distinctive facilities, with their eye‑catching façades and considered architectural design, represent a new breed of data centres for urbanised environments that are both functional and aesthetically pleasing.  

The secret to Australia’s data centre growth lies in its stable regulatory environment, strong connectivity, skilled workforce, and growing access to renewable energy. These factors position the country as one of the most attractive locations for large-scale Asia–Pacific data centre investment. 

At the same time, evolving data sovereignty requirements across Asia–Pacific are accelerating the need for localised infrastructure, reinforcing Australia’s role as both a destination and a gateway. The infrastructure being built today will shape how Australians experience education, healthcare, commerce, and connection in the years ahead. 

A Region of Distinct Markets 

Beyond Australia, growth across Asia–Pacific is both significant and diverse. 

Singapore remains a highly mature market, where land and power constraints are driving new approaches to efficiency and design. In 2023, the country began development of a 700 MW low-carbon data centre park in Jurong Island. Keeping with Singapore’s sustainability goals, this site will use hydrogen-ready plants, expanded battery storage, ammonia power, and solar.  

Japan is also seeing renewed momentum through AI investment and government-led digital transformation. Currently, Japan is the second-largest data centre market among developed nations after the U.S., with projections to reach USD $33.4 billion by 2030.  

India is rapidly scaling, with major hubs such as Mumbai, Chennai, and Hyderabad expanding at pace. Meanwhile, Southeast Asian markets including Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand are attracting hyperscale investment as demand for low-latency services increases. 

Asia–Pacific is not one market, but a collection of distinct environments, each shaped by its own regulatory frameworks, energy constraints, and development pathways. Navigating this complexity requires deep local insight combined with the ability to deliver consistently across regions.  

As these markets scale, the success of future Asia–Pacific data centres will increasingly depend on early-stage decisions, from site selection and power strategy through to planning pathways and long-term integration with surrounding communities. 

Economic and Community Impact of Data Centres

The growth of Asia–Pacific data centres is creating a new generation of roles across engineering, digital infrastructure, and environmental design. These are not extensions of traditional industries, but entirely new career pathways aligned to how economies are evolving across the region. 

For communities, the impact is equally significant. Data centres enable faster, more reliable services and support systems that improve how people live and work. From real-time language translation across diverse regions, to telemedicine connecting remote communities to major urban centres, the outcomes are practical, immediate, and growing. Every one of these possibilities depends on reliable, well-planned digital infrastructure.  

Toward Integrated, Sustainable Systems 

With data centres critical to Australia and Asia–Pacific’s economic future, ensuring a consistent and reliable power supply will be a top priority. To avoid grid bottlenecks, many regions are increasing the role of renewable energy and battery storage systems within their energy mix. 

New energy innovations, such as hydrogen fuel cells and advanced solar panels, are being deployed through clean energy sourcing strategies, including clustering data centres near high‑quality solar and wind resources. At the same time, new design approaches are reducing water use and improving operational efficiency. Together, these efforts will boost electricity supply, strengthen reliability, and accelerate the Asia–Pacific region’s clean energy transition. 

There is also growing momentum around integrated systems, where data centres contribute directly to surrounding industries and communities. Whether through energy reuse, shared infrastructure, or smarter planning, these approaches are moving from concept to reality. 

The Possibilities Are Only Growing 

So next time you stream a show, check a weather app, get a real-time traffic update, or join a video call with a colleague in another country, remember there is a data centre behind it, discreetly making it all happen. 

At Woolpert, we see data centres as more than just infrastructure. They are critical systems that enable connection, support communities, and underpin long-term economic and social progress. As demand accelerates, the focus is not just on building more, but on planning, designing, and integrating these facilities in a way that delivers lasting value. 

The Asia–Pacific data centres being built today will define how the next generation in this region experiences the world. It will shape how economies compete, how communities connect, and how innovation scales. The role of data centres is only becoming more central, and the possibilities are only growing. 

An increasing reliance on technology in our lives has accelerated the evolution of a new type of energy-efficient and resilient data center. NEXTDC S2 represents this new class of data center. Sitting proudly within an urban environment, rather than camouflaged within an industrial estate, this Uptime Tier IV building gives back to the community by its proximity to customers and our innovative design, providing sustainable energy-efficient storage and cooling solutions for servers.

Greenbox, a wholly owned subsidiary of Woolpert, designed these eight boutique apartments to allow owners to stay in the area, where a lifetime of friends and connections had been made, without the maintenance hassles of a big house and garden. The apartments sit comfortably at the junction of urban and suburban living. The mixed-use development with street-level shops open to the public fosters a sense of excitement and community that was part of the Pymble town center master plan.

Woolpert was engaged by Port Haifa to design a new two-berth passenger cruise terminal, handling up to 6,500 pax each way, replacing the current interim terminal. The facility can also serve a remote third berth. Woolpert collaborated with Mochly Eldar Architects to create a vision for the Haifa Port Waterfront Plan, transforming the industrial waterfront into a vibrant mixed-use area. Woolpert’s expertise in ports and maritime design was crucial in realizing the project’s vision of a pedestrian-friendly urban seafront and a future community asset.