When it comes to green commercial buildings, Los Angeles is tops, according to a report from the Burnham-Moores Center for Real Estate at the University of San Diego and CoStar.
Los Angeles has 26.2 million square feet in 100 buildings that are rated under the Energy Star or LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) programs, according to the report. (LEED is a consensus-based green building rating system from the U.S. Green Building Council.) Following Los Angeles in the top 10 are Houston, Washington, D.C., New York, San Francisco, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Denver, Seattle/Puget Sound, Chicago, and Dallas/Ft. Worth.
The report, which looked at the number of buildings and total square footage, used information provided by CoStar, a national database of commercial properties.
Dr. Norm Miller, professor and director of academic programs at the Burnham-Moores Center for Real Estate, said most of the cities on the list make sense except for the ones in the Lone Star State.
“I am not surprised by L.A and San Francisco, and I would expect Seattle [to make the list],” Miller told Green Products and Technology. “Chicago has been making a move in this direction for some time now. I guess the surprise for me is the ones in Texas. And I would have thought Portland, Ore., would have made the [top 10].”
The data also revealed that financial institutions account for 18 percent of the tenants in environmentally friendly buildings nationwide. Law firms, retailers, and manufacturers combined represent nearly 40% of the green commercial building tenants.
The Top Ten Metro Areas for Energy Star/LEED Buildings
| Metro Area | Number of Buildings | Square Feet | Percentage of Total |
1 | Los Angeles | 100 | 26,167,038 | 13.3% |
2 | Houston | 46 | 21,101,378 | 10.8% |
3 | Washington, D.C. | 61 | 19,796,646 | 10.1% |
4 | New York City | 11 | 12,328,784 | 6.3% |
5 | San Francisco | 30 | 11,862,367 | 6.0% |
6 | Minneapolis/St. Paul | 20 | 11,381,738 | 5.8% |
7 | Denver | 34 | 10,285,745 | 5.2% |
8 | Seattle/Puget Sound | 16 | 7,616,710 | 3.9% |
9 | Chicago | 13 | 6,326,489 | 3.2% |
10 | Dallas/Fort Worth | 20 | 6,058,892 | 3.1% |
Tenant Industries Occupying Energy Star/LEED Buildings
| Tenant Type | Number of Tenants | Square Feet | Percentage of Total |
1 | Financial Institutions | 968 | 20,228,058 | 18.0% |
2 | Law Firms | 822 | 18,407,157 | 16.4% |
3 | Retailers | 694 | 12,275,254 | 10.9% |
4 | Manufacturing | 240 | 9,704,599 | 8.6% |
5 | Personal Services | 588 | 7,969,667 | 7.1% |
6 | Insurance | 305 | 7,012,850 | 6.2% |
7 | Utilities | 205 | 6,271,296 | 5.6% |
8 | Business Services | 560 | 5,478,659 | 4.9% |
9 | Data Processing | 245 | 5,218,630 | 4.6% |
10 | Government | 127 | 5,161,872 | 4.6% |
11 | Accountants | 196 | 4,003,835 | 3.6% |
12 | Engineers/Architects | 148 | 3,876,718 | 3.4% |
13 | Real Estate | 367 | 2,215,196 | 2.0% |
14 | Communications | 98 | 1,603,219 | 1.4% |
15 | Medical | 178 | 1,516,067 | 1.3% |
16 | Transportation | 70 | 1,465,971 | 1.3% |
| Grand Total | 5,811 | 112,409,048 | 100.0% |
Sources: University of San Diego’s Burnham-Moores Center for Real Estate and CoStar