Rockville Office Building Is Named State's Greenest

Two Thousand Tower Oaks Boulevard in Rockville was named the "greenest" office building in Maryland by state Comptroller Peter Franchot. (By Rick Rojas -- The Washington Post)
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Joe Shapiro, a spokesman for the comptroller, said the building is a "shining example for the rest of the state . . . because it has an economic value and an environmental value."

Shapiro said LEED platinum buildings save on utility costs and increase productivity. State officials hope the tax credit encourages prospective businesses to reach for platinum status, he said.

Abramson said prospective tenants have told her, " 'I don't know if I can afford the premium for a green building.' " Her response: "I don't think you can afford not to." Constructing something like Tower Oaks isn't just environmental citizenship; it's smart business, she said.

Going green increased overall construction costs by slightly more than 1 percent, she said. But employee productivity has increased, and fewer employees called in sick this past winter than in any other year, Abramson said, crediting the fresh air and natural light.

Debbie Webb, director of property management for Tower Companies, has taken notice of the difference in her own work space. She has been at Tower Companies since it moved in February and worked for other property management companies for 18 years.

"You start off in the basement or in some place where no one wants to rent," she said of the standard property management work area. And, she said, with the lights flipped off and the midday sun flowing in, "it's just such a healthy environment."

Abramson said the company is looking toward the next step: finding a way to generate its electricity on site.

"We're superheroes," she said. "It's our job to save the planet through real estate."