PHILADELPHIA, PA—With more than 34 percent of its office space regarded as “green,” Philadelphia ranked 14th of 30 markets on the 2015 Green Building Adoption Index, a joint project of CBRE and Maastricht University.

“Our 2015 study confirmed that green building adoption has been primarily a big building, first-tier city phenomenon,” says David Pogue, CBRE's global director of corporate responsibility. “It would appear that many smaller buildings in the majority of large markets still have an opportunity to be 'best in class' among their peer set by achieving these certifications.”

Although it slipped from number six in 2014, Philadelphia's green office space (defined as holding either an EPA ENERGY STAR label, US Green Building Council full-building LEED certification or both), Philadelphia continued to be one of the leading cities in the nation in a number of green categories.

The ratio of square footage to buildings is one of the lowest in the nation, trailing only New Jersey and Manhattan. This suggests that a larger share of smaller or average-sized buildings in Philadelphia are also engaged in the green building movement.

Downtown Philadelphia remains a major force in leading the way towards green buildings, with 27.3% of all downtown buildings holding ENERGY STAR or LEED certification.

USGBC says Philadelphia ranks number five in its top 10 list of the most populous cities with LEED certification. This is in large part due to the encouragement from a zoning code set in August 2012. Local institutions leading the way include the Lincoln Financial Field with energy-efficient technologies, and the new Comcast Center–expected to be the tallest LEED-certified building in the country–with a vegetative roof, erosion control, and a storm-water management system.

Executed in close collaboration with the USGBC and CBRE Research, this is the second release of the annual Green Building Adoption Index. Based on a rigorous methodology, the Index shows the growth of ENERGY STAR- and LEED-certified space for the 30 largest U.S. office markets, both in aggregate and in individual markets, over the previous 10 years.

Instant Insights /

Philadelphia Ranks 14th on CBRE Green Building Adoption Index

Related Stories

Recommended For You