Environmentally conscious tenants want green buildings

Jerry W. Jackson

Sentinel Staff Writer

November 5, 2007

Green is the color for commercial construction in Central Florida these days.

Offices, schools, apartments and mixed-use towers that use less energy and soften their footprint on the environment are in. Energy-gobbling properties that need lots of water for irrigation and other scarce resources are out.

Companies are scrambling to get up to speed with this hot, "new" trend, now being touted by an unlikely spectrum of special interests, including politicians of all stripes, business people, industries and environmental groups.

The Orlando area, long a hotbed for construction innovation -- from "tilt-wall" commercial buildings to homes made of concrete poured into frames on site -- is at the forefront of this "green" movement as well.