Industry sector: Green Building

Office tenants hold some power in making buildings greener

By Jackie Noblett

Commercial tenants are playing a larger role in greening up office and lab space around Greater Boston, provided they are willing to work with their landlord on how to pay for such improvements, real estate executives say.

Starting with recycling programs a decade ago, promoting sustainability in office buildings and lab spaces has been a slow and delicate process, but a slumping leasing market has given some big-name tenants more leverage to negotiate improvements such as high-efficiency lighting and environmentally friendly paints and carpets into their leases. Much of what a tenant can do depends on the stage of its existing lease, but even more so, depending on the green motives of the property owner.

“There is a perfect storm of political, social, and economic factors that are driving tenants and landlords toward sustainability,” said David Bergeron, vice president at real estate advisory firm T3 Associates LLC. “All the local landlords, they want to cater to their tenants and clients, but the reality of the situation is that with the commercial real estate market right now, it’s not always economically viable.”

Read the full article in MassHighTech.