According to CBRE's 2017 National Green Building Adoption Index, which ranks 30 of the largest commercial office markets in the U.S. by the share of green-certified square footage, 38% of all office space in the nation's largest markets were LEED and/or ENERGY STAR certified as of 2016.
This is a slight increase from the 37% reported in 2015, but a huge jump from 2005, when less than 5% of office space was certified. The study excluded buildings and square footage of any office that failed to renew certifications after five years.
The study reported that 22 cities, the District of Columbia, two counties, and two states have implemented laws requiring privately owned buildings to disclose annual energy consumption and publish the resulting data. Most of these policies had not reached their full phase-in of reporting by January 2016, though.
Several cities have experienced an increase in the adoption of environmental building certification after passing benchmarking and transparency laws. After Kansas City’s Green Building Adoption measure was passed, certified green square footage jumped five percentage points, and Atlanta gained five points after adopting energy benchmarking and reporting regulations.
Related Stories
Codes and Standards | Feb 16, 2021
Bechtel joins international heat resilience organization
Experience designing resilience standards to aid effort to protect communities from extreme heat.
Codes and Standards | Feb 10, 2021
More than two-thirds of construction companies say COVID-19 has not impacted their ESOP
Half of survey respondents say 2020 project profitability decreased due to pandemic.
Codes and Standards | Feb 9, 2021
New Jersey approves new electric vehicle-ready home requirement
Homebuyers must be given option for charging station on new construction.
Codes and Standards | Feb 9, 2021
New California law removes barriers to residential development
Measure removes restrictions for ADUs in urban areas and master planned communities.
Codes and Standards | Feb 8, 2021
Alliance yields more accurate data for rating and certifying systems of construction materials
Crosswalk API offers trusted format to specify and procure healthier products.
Codes and Standards | Feb 4, 2021
2021 IBC requires automatic doors for entrances to public buildings
One door must be either a full power-operated door or a low-energy power-operated door.
Codes and Standards | Feb 3, 2021
Two new International Code Council online code tools released
Offer detailed information about global building code usage and U.S. adoptions.
Codes and Standards | Feb 2, 2021
Biden tells OSHA to bolster COVID-19 safety rules
Order could lead to a national playbook for fighting COVID-19 on jobsites.
Codes and Standards | Feb 1, 2021
Fenestration Alliance updates standard for mulled combination assemblies
Last updated in 2010, document describes procedures and requirements for air leakage, water resistance, and structural performance.
Codes and Standards | Jan 28, 2021
Natl. Fire Protection Assn. releases new energy storage system fact sheet
Comes as Biden Administration prepares ambitious clean energy agenda.