Chicago’s offices have gone green. The windy city now has the highest percentage of certified LEED or Energy Star office buildings, 66 percent, among the 30 largest real estate markets in the U.S., according to a study published by CBRE Group Inc. and Maastricht University.
Chicago increased its percentage of green office space square footage by 6.5 percent in the last year, taking the top spot away from San Francisco, which slipped to second place in the annual study. In San Francisco, green buildings represent almost 62 percent of commercial office space.
“Green certification is no longer an oddity or nice to have,” said Nils Kok, associate professor at the Dutch university. “In many top markets it’s an oddity if you’re not green certified.”
Atlanta, Houston and Minneapolis were also among the top five cities for green buildings, according to the study, which tracked buildings that have been LEED or Energy Star certified in the past five years. New York City is rated 10th. Across the top 30 U.S. real estate markets, the average proportion of green certified square footage is 38 percent, according to the researchers.
The Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, program rates buildings based on environmentally-friendly features, such as solar lighting, and efficient energy and water systems, while the Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star certification shows a building has met strict energy performance standards.
(Source: Bloomberg)
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