For more and more tenants, a LEED certified building is no longer an option. It's a necessity. Given all that a green building can do for your business, it makes sense to spend extra time considering LEED options, even to the exclusion of other sites.
LEED = Quality
In today's competitive office market, building a property to LEED certified standards is becoming a standard part of developing a higher-end property. Since tenants demand greener offices, it stands to reason that high quality buildings will be built to green standards. Furthermore, the nature of achieving certification usually means that a building has desirable amenities and higher end finishes.
Lower Occupancy Costs
According to the US Green Building Council's 2015 article entitled "The Business Case for Green Building," author of the standards to become LEED certified, new construction LEED buildings have 13.6 percent lower operating costs than non-LEED properties. Even retrofitted existing buildings achieve 8.5 cost savings. Given that much of the savings in a green building comes from lower energy and water usage, if the costs for those commodities increase, the economic benefit of being in LEED space could become even greater in the future.
Governmental Benefits
While many of the benefits of LEED buildings vis-a-vis governmental agencies accrue to the owners of the buildings, it is still worthwhile to investigate what you may received if you choose a green property to occupy. Some municipalities have special funding or tax credits for green projects, while some government agencies prefer to occupy sustainable buildings.
Better Workforce Performance
Sustainable buildings aren't just good for the environment. They also provide a better environment for the people that work in them. LEED certified buildings typically have more natural light, which is both a mood and productivity builder. Their ecologically-friendly construction methods, finishes and ventilation system also lead to better indoor air quality. This not only makes the building more pleasant to occupy but also reduces employee sick days. USGBC sourced research indicates that companies experience enough of an improvement in employee health to achieve, on average, $70 per employee per year in employer-paid health premium savings.
Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability
Opting for a LEED-certified building puts your company's commitment to corporate responsibility and to operating a sustainable business in a prominent position. Choosing a green building gives you the opportunity to reap positive PR. It also can help to attract clients that are ecologically sensitive as well as to position yourself as a desirable place to work for notoriously picky Millennials.
Given that more and more new projects are earning LEED certification, if your company is in the market for Class A space, most markets around the world offer a solid set of choices. The first step is to let your tenant representative know that you prefer LEED certified space. He can spearhead the process from there to find you a new, affordable, healthy and green office to occupy.
Source: http://www.usgbc.org/articles/business-case-green-building
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