Green buildings

Investing in our future

We’re committed to modernizing federal buildings to reach net-zero portfolio operational emissions by 2045, meaning our buildings will not produce greenhouse gas emissions through their operations.

Building decarbonization

We’re implementing strategies to help the government mitigate the intensity of climate change while also preparing for and adapting to the dangers it creates.

Inflation Reduction Act

We’re investing $3.4 billion in sustainable materials and technologies to turn federal facilities into high-performance green buildings.

Bipartisan Infrastructure Law

With BIL funding, we’re incorporating sustainability features to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at dozens of land ports of entry.

Innovative technologies

We partner with private industry and other federal agencies through our Center for Emerging Technologies to evaluate emerging technologies in real facility environments.

Our Office of High Performance Green Buildings develops best practices, guidance and tools for using innovations to reduce costs, enable agency missions, enhance human health and performance, and minimize environmental impacts.

Energy-efficient lighting

We collaborated with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to develop LED lighting and control guidance for federal buildings and reduce energy use.

Cutting edge federal facility

The reimagined U.S. DOT Volpe Center integrates sustainable features such as solar panels, stormwater capture systems, and occupiable green roofs. 

Green roofs

We maintain nearly 2 million square feet of ‘living roofs,’ which provide multiple environmental, social, economic and aesthetic benefits.

Learn more about our investments in next-generation building technologies:

• Green proving ground

  Our GPG program evaluates the real-world performance of emerging building technologies and helps accelerate market acceptance.

• Pilot to portfolio

  We provide resources and training to simplify the adoption of new technologies during building construction, retrofits, and end-of-life replacements.

• Applied innovation learning lab

  Our AILL is developing a whole-building approach to sustainable operations that deliver net zero operations.