by Carolyn Badaracco

Across the country, a number of environmentally sustainable building projects that once took center stage are now waiting on the sidelines.

Construction materials costs skyrocketed. Tariff volatility took hold. And U.S. businesses have been temporarily distracted from the once urgent pull toward green building initiatives that reduce carbon footprint.

For innovative states like Georgia, however, green building is never far from play.

A-Town, sports and sustainability

Designed by global firm HOK and opened in 2017, Mercedes-Benz Stadium in downtown Atlanta remains an example of top-level building sustainability on the world’s radar.

Beyond its futuristic look, the home of the Atlanta Falcons, Atlanta United and numerous world-class sporting and cultural events is platinum-certified in the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program—the most rigorous example of environmentally conscious design and construction.

“Mercedes-Benz Stadium is such a flagship project for Atlanta, for the state of Georgia and really for LEED in general,” said John Brown, vice president of operations at Atlanta-based Shimizu North America.

Brown holds LEED AP BD+C certification, meaning he is a LEED accredited professional with a focus on building design and construction for new construction and major renovation.

The Tokyo-headquartered company Shimizu open for business 220 years ago, and came to the United States 50 years ago. By 1974, it settled U.S. operations in Los Angeles. By 2001, it had chosen Atlanta for its North American headquarters.

Today, the company focuses primarily on the design and building of industrial manufacturing facilities for the automotive market, food and beverage industry, data centers and other advanced manufacturing.

From his leadership position, Brown sees Mercedes-Benz Stadium as a trophy among LEED projects.

“Conceptually, (people) think of LEED buildings being office buildings or smaller types of structures, so the fact that Georgia was able to scale those LEED principles to such a large footprint in a completely different use of a facility is quite a big deal,” Brown said.

On Mar. 28, the world will get a look inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium as Atlanta kicks off the Road to 26, a series of elite international soccer exhibitions in U.S. venues throughout the year, with USMNT playing Belgium.

In June the LEED platinum venue will host international teams in eight FIFA World Cup matches.

Georgia’s LEED projects ranking

In 2023, the U.S. Green Building Council ranked Georgia fifth in its top 10 list of U.S. cities sporting the most LEED-certified buildings per capita, with 97 LEED projects—ranging from bronze, silver, gold and platinum certification levels—totaling 27.5 million square feet.

Atlanta’s Invesco headquarters, like Mercedes-Benz Stadium, has the certified platinum seal.

“The state has dropped a little bit since (2023), and I think that’s largely due to the fact that other states are starting to show more (momentum) in terms of tax incentives,” Brown said.

He explained it is beginning to “look attractive” for people to build LEED facilities in neighboring states.

ROI timetable

Rigorous design principles and U.S. Green Building Council mandates for various certification levels make LEED buildings expensive. Yet the investment pays off swiftly.

“Almost immediately they can start seeing a return on investment,” Brown said. “Recently, the Department of Energy put out numbers showing that LEED-certified buildings can start (realizing) a reduction in their energy costs as much as 25% from day one, and a decrease in water costs by 11%.”

Depending on the level of certification, LEED building projects can see a full return on investment in three to 10 years, according to Brown.

Data centers and alternative green measures

Beyond LEED, Georgia and the country at large boast other examples of sustainable building innovation.

Data centers—traditionally very resource-intensive—provide one example.

“The data center industry is currently undergoing a massive AI-driven transformation fueled by demand for generative AI. This is redefining site selection, power management, cooling technologies, and types of building construction from conventional systems to modular systems,” says Brown.

“While they are not as environmentally friendly as other building types, data centers are seeing changes in the way they are engineered and constructed, so that the overall carbon footprint is decreased,” Brown said.

Georgia, of course, is booming on the data center front, with some 200 facilities in operation around the state.

Environmental mindfulness

Despite a global environment rife with economic and political challenges, Brown believes that Georgia and the nation’s green building sector have strong prospects for the future.

“Environmental sustainability makes good business sense,” he said. “From an engineering, design, architecture and construction standpoint, it’s intriguing to come up with different ways to be more efficient in the building and actual use of facilities.”