Chicago is among the top 10 U.S. cities with the highest percentage of green commercial space, according to the 2014 Green Building Adoption Index, a joint project of CBRE Group, Inc. and Maastricht University. Chicago ranked at number 3 on the list with 62.1 percent of commercial real estate certified as green. The study also finds that across the U.S., green commercial real estate has increased significantly since 2005.
“We’ve seen a marked increase in the number of green buildings in Chicago in recent years, fueled in part by developers and owners making concerted efforts to incorporate these changes in both new construction and the upgrading of older structures,” said Chris Connelly, Executive Managing Director of CBRE’s Chicago market offices. “In a culture where environmental sustainability in the workplace have become mainstream topics of conversation, this ranking is yet another reason for companies to choose Chicago as a place to locate and grow their businesses.”
Given its superior size, institutional importance, and regulatory commitments, Chicago can certainly claim to be considered one of America’s greenest cities. 294 buildings in Chicago are certified, representing more than 148 million sq. ft. of office space. In nearly every major category, Chicago is consistently in the top five, including most importantly, the percentage of total square footage, where an astounding 62.1% of existing space is deemed green.
