Feature image: The LEED Gold Corporate Center II in Tampa, Florida. Photo courtesy of Cousins Properties.

Innovation and LEED certification go hand in hand. So it’s no surprise that throughout the course of retrofitting its construction portfolio in accordance with LEED for Operations and Maintenance (O+M), Cousins Properties—a 66-year-old real estate investment trust based in Atlanta—has used distinct and inventive strategies to make its buildings as attractive as they are sustainable.

“We are always staying up to date on the newest technologies available in our field,” says Bill Muehling, LEED Green Associate, group engineering manager for Cousins’ Tampa, Florida, market. Muehling calls his team in Tampa "unique."

“We have people on staff who have the skill set and desire to design and install our conservation projects in-house,” Muehling said. “When a project is identified or there is an improvement to make, we can make it. The scope of work is defined, the benefit established, a cost and budget are created, and our project team handles the installation.”

Muehling’s interest in utility reduction in office buildings started in the early 1990s, when he earned his Certified Energy Manager designation through the Association of Energy Engineers. The course of his career at first led him away from influencing operations, but when he returned to the industry, he decided to address the issues he was initially intrigued by.

Bees swarm around a small hive in the shape of a colorful building. — Beekeeping is a collaborative effort between Cousins and local organizations. Photo courtesy of Cousins Properties.

“I get very excited by influencing others to see how much impact they have on their building utility use and reduction in their carbon footprint,” Muehling says.

Now, the seamlessness from idea to implementation has allowed Muehling and his team to make innovative improvements to the buildings under Cousins’ Tampa jurisdiction. In 2023, six of Cousins’ buildings were converted to a green water treatment system through a partnership with Premier Water & Energy Technology, Inc.

In this system, sustainably harvested moss is used as a natural filter for cooling towers, which decreases water usage in the buildings. The moss allows the company to increase cycles of concentration in cooling towers without complicated and environmentally hazardous chemicals, resulting in a more environmentally friendly (and responsible) process that extends the life of the cooling equipment, according to Muehling. Using condensate water recaptured from the HVAC system allows for the reduction of cooling tower makeup, thereby lowering water consumption—as well as demand for potable water from the City of Tampa Water Department, Muehling says.

The moss is given an extended second life by Taylor Beck, a member of the property management team. Once spent, it’s used to help propagate plants that are then gifted to Cousins’ customers in honor of Earth Day or as a town hall meeting souvenir.

The moss is only one of several sustainable additions, though. Another includes a rainwater collection system that can provide water for an exterior decorative fountain for three to four weeks. When necessary, Muehling said, groundwater is used to supplement additional demand not fulfilled by the rainwater collection system.

Cousins partners with urban beekeeping organizations Bee Downtown and Alvéole as well. The collaborative beekeeping efforts extend to Cousins properties in Atlanta and Phoenix; the bees across all territories produced more than 650 pounds of honey in 2023, according to Sarah Boehmig Mumaw, Cousins’ vice president of sustainability. Mumaw says that the honey is used on-site in Cousins’ customer event cocktails, as part of cheese pairings or given away in jars as a token of appreciation for customers.

Four people smile at the camera, two holding LEED plaques, with balloons in the background. — Left to right: Alexis Barry, associate, USGBC; Bill Muehling, group engineering manager, Cousins Tampa; Don Stupp, operations director, Cousins Tampa; and Tara Bleakley, former associate director, USGBC; at the LEED plaque ceremony in Tampa in March 2024.

Beyond the company’s local efforts and impact, Cousins’ reef restoration program offers generational impact. To create reefs, Cousins worked with LEED consultant Bruce Hall (of Bruce H. Hall LLC) to deploy materials from equipment Cousins is replacing. The material must meet specific criteria for type, thickness and weight to comply with federal, state and local regulations—thus, chillers are ideal candidates.

The reef developer is responsible for cleaning the equipment and removing fluids and oil prior to the materials’ deployment in 90 feet of water to establish the reef habitat. The efforts have helped shore up a failing barrier reef at the entrance of Mobile Bay on the Alabama-Florida state line. Cousins has deployed five chillers so far, with plans to deploy three more in 2025. One of Cousins’ contractors, Tudi Mechanical, has contributed a chiller, too, and has plans to deploy more.

“Doing the right thing, through a sustainability lens, means we remain committed to thoughtful and responsible operations, which contributes to positive economic, environmental and social outcomes for our customers, shareholders, employees and the communities in which we live, work and play,” says Mumaw.

“Our LEED certifications have been a meaningful way for us to demonstrate and fulfill our commitment to providing healthy, highly efficient green buildings to our customers and employees,” adds Don Stupp, Cousins Tampa’s operations director.

Alexis Barry, a Florida-based associate for USGBC's U.S. Market Transformation and Development team, observed Cousins’ Tampa team at a plaque ceremony celebrating its LEED certifications. Barry says she also noticed something “quite special” when she attended.

“I sensed how well the project team members worked together and how excited they were to share one another’s successful contributions to the project,” Barry says. “From the moss in the water-cooling towers to the honeybee hives, there was this feeling of community and pride in the different innovative components that made up the project.”

Thus far, the green retrofits and LEED O+M improvements are yielding effective outcomes on multiple levels. Kilowatt-hour consumption has decreased since 2018, says Muehling. He adds that environmental aspects within the buildings have improved, bringing fresh air and proper conditioning to the spaces. “All this was accomplished while increasing the occupancy of the buildings to approximately 95%,” Muehling says.

A large office building with palm trees outside. — Corporate Center I and Corporate Center IV in Tampa. Photos courtesy of Cousins Properties.

A tiered office building in the twilight. — Corporate Center I and Corporate Center IV in Tampa. Photos courtesy of Cousins Properties.

Blue Ocean Energy, an energy management and sustainability consulting firm that works with Cousins Properties, assisted Cousins' Tampa team in achieving the LEED v4.1 O+M certifications. Company president Alison Petersen shares, “Cousins Properties is very easy to work with, as properties in their portfolio are well managed with sustainability as a focus. Cousins Properties focuses on sustainable plans for energy, water, waste, transportation and many other factors accountable for the human experience, building happier and heathier building for all stakeholders.”

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Furthermore, tenants are reaping the benefits of the internal air quality and generally reduced environmental impact, both of which Cousins discloses in its corporate responsibility report and in town hall meetings with customers, Muehling says.

“Companies and individuals have [both] expressed gratitude for these efforts, as they provide information to current and prospective employees about their own ESG goals and footprint,” says Muehling. “Our work helps them attract the brightest and the best talent in their field, and our documentation and efforts make it easier for them in a competitive employment environment.”

Kent Lightner, the strategic operations executive director of the Baldwin Group and a tenant in one of the Tampa properties, agrees. “The Baldwin Group is proud to be headquartered in a Gold LEED building that supports our ESG efforts as a public firm,” Lightner says. “Cousins upholds the highest standards of care for their facilities, are nimble and flexible to respond to our needs as their customer, and they share our values of responsible stewardship of our resources and the environment.”

Certifying buildings in accordance with LEED O+M also aids Cousins’ decarbonization progress, since the certification process leads to an overall decrease in energy and water usage, plus greenhouse gas emissions, Mumaw said. Cousins aspires to achieve LEED O+M certification with all its buildings.

Several people talk in a meeting room. — Left: Cousins holds "town hall" meetings to build engagement with customers in recycling and waste procedures. Right: A technician inspects a condensate recovery unit that has helped lower overall water consumption. Photos courtesy of Cousins Properties.

A man with a clipboard inspects a mechanical system. — Left: Cousins holds "town hall" meetings to build engagement with customers in recycling and waste procedures. Right: A technician inspects a condensate recovery unit that has helped lower overall water consumption. Photos courtesy of Cousins Properties.

As a result of incorporating LEED v4.1 strategies, Cousins decided to install additional CO2 monitors to ensure that high indoor air quality is maintained. Plus, the results of energy audit made it an easy decision to upgrade or replace the energy recovery units at select Tampa buildings to improve overall operations.

Furthermore, each of Cousins’ Tampa buildings had a 24-hour waste audit in which Corporate Center’s average Arc performance waste score was 6 out of 8 total points for the category. Even with its high performance in the waste category, Cousins embraced engaging customers in improvement. In the company's town hall meetings with occupants of each building, the recycling and trash process is reviewed. Cousins only uses coffee mugs, along with real plates and silverware, in the Tampa management office to set a high example.

“We view obtaining these certifications as evidence that we are continuing to operate our buildings in alignment with LEED’s high standards, which also add value for our customers,” says Muehling.

In the spirit of going above and beyond, Cousins’ corporate responsibility practices reach farther past the green retrofits. Cousins’ buildings offer customers opportunities to connect with nature by using walking paths that promote outdoor activity. They provide EV chargers, set green cleaning policies and install hi-tech building management systems that regulate temperature, according to Mumaw. More than 90% of Cousins’ buildings are Energy Star-certified as well, with 74% of its operating properties maintaining LEED certifications.

Muehling says that, according to the EPA’s U.S. Energy Use Intensity by Type technical reference guide published in August 2023, the mean energy use intensity in the industry is 52.9. Cousins’ Tampa buildings outperform the industry average, with EUI numbers ranging from 32 to 44.5. From an Energy Star perspective, Cousins’ Tampa scores range from 76 to 92 in eight buildings that are between three and 42 years old. The 42-year-old building has a score of 92—which means it is outperforming some of the newer construction.

Cousins has set a high bar with its green retrofits, indicative of a bright and sustainable future for real estate investment trusts nationwide. “Cousins is focused on making Class A properties the most energy- and water-efficient places to work, live and play for our customers and communities,” Mumaw says.

Sun Belt office REIT has a high standard for retrofitting its building portfolio