Hillsborough County Aviation Authority headquarters earns LEED Gold status

Tampa International Airport’s SkyCenter One office building has already been lauded for its environmentally friendly design and construction, but now the Hillsborough County Aviation Authority’s headquarters inside the building has also gained its own special recognition for sustainability practices.

The third, fourth and fifth floors inside SkyCenter One – which contain the Authority’s executive and departmental offices, TPA’s Airport Operations Center and public meeting facilities for the HCAA Board of Directors – recently earned the Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system for its interior finishes and makeup.

Developed by the design-build team of Gensler and DPR Construction, the Authority’s offices were completed and occupied in 2022, not long after SkyCenter One’s opening the year before. LEED is the most widely used green building rating system in the world and helps ensure electricity cost savings, lower carbon emissions and healthier environments.

TPA’s nine-story building earned LEED Platinum certification in 2022 for implementing practical and measurable solutions in areas including sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.

The building represents Tampa’s first new construction project to receive the Platinum level of the certification, the highest available.

“Tampa International Airport continues to display the value we place on sustainability and resilience measures throughout our planning, design and construction processes over the years, and I believe these accolades are testaments to that focus,” TPA Sustainability and Resilience Program Director Eric Caplan said. “Over the past few years, we have been fortunate enough to have been recognized by our peer airports, national and regional aviation organizations, and throughout our Tampa Bay community for these efforts, and intend to maintain our leadership role for years to come.”

It’s the latest in a spate of awards TPA has secured over the past few months for its sustainability efforts.

Projects from Phase 1 of the TPA’s 2012 Master Plan, a federally mandated blueprint to managing passenger growth, have earned TPA an Envision Verified Award from the nonprofit Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure.

The Institute recognized projects including moving the rental car facility from the Long Term Parking Garage to the consolidated Rental Car Center at the south end of the Airport’s property, plus the SkyConnect train system to connect it to the Main Terminal, saying they enhanced community mobility, emphasized mitigation against climate change impacts and advanced many other sustainability goals.

The Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council recently recognized TPA’s Master Plan Phase II projects – including the Blue Express Curbsides and a Main Terminal expansion – with a Future of the Region Award for Resiliency and recognized CEO Joe Lopano with a Regional Leader Award for his work guiding the Authority’s efforts.

Other sustainability awards include:

• The Florida Airports Council’s Vision Award for Master Plan Phase II
• Airports Going Green’s Sustainable Infrastructure Awards for both Master Plan Phase I and Phase II projects
• The Florida Recycling Partnership Foundation’s Energy Efficiency Project of the Year for TPA’s two-year-old Central Utility Plant, and its Sustainable Impact Award for Phase I projects
• The Sustany Foundation’s Sustainable Business Award in the Extra Large Business Category for TPA, and its Innovation Award for the Airport’s Master Plan projects

The Authority released a new Sustainable Management Plan to establish guidelines for future sustainability and resilience goals last year. For more information on TPA’s continued sustainability efforts, go here.

See more images of the HCAA's offices at SkyCenter One below (click to enlarge):