Industrial construction is one particular sector of the building industry where sustainable efforts have remained relatively unremarked upon. Almost a year ago, we wrote one of gbNYC’s very few posts discussing industrial properties, noting a New York City-based owner called Pantheon Properties which had announced a plan to retrofit its nine-warehouse portfolio. Last week, a much larger industrial owner- ProLogis, the world’s biggest developer and owner of distribution facilities- revealed that it will implement a green initiative, including registering all of its future developments, as well as those currently in the design or planning stages, under the LEED system. Last year, ProLogis started construction on 11 million square feet across 39 buildings, and the company expects a similar volume this year. Interestingly, according to Jack Rizzo, managing director of construction, ProLogis has seen “a growing preference among customers to lease space in buildings that have been developed with environmental efficiency in mind.” Rizzo also noted that ProLogis facilities already satisfy close to half of the LEED credits required for basic certification. The company is headquartered in Denver and its tenants include manufacturers, retailers, transportation companies, third-party logistics providers and other enterprises with large-scale distribution needs. Its efforts are noteworthy given the relative lack of news about sustainability across the sector, as well as the massive volume of construction that warehouses account for.
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