Atlanta Property Group (APG), a leading Atlanta full-service real estate firm, is leveraging its 20-year operational track record in a partnership with Atlanta Tech Village (the Village) to lower the building’s carbon intensity, reduce costs, and create a more comfortable and sustainable environment for members. The program is the first of its kind for APG, which has long been recognized as a leader in reducing the carbon footprint in the built environment.

Launched at the end of last year, the program included an initial evaluation of the building and strategic recommendations to achieve the Village’s goals. APG identified several potential energy efficiency measures, including an updated energy management system, newly scoped maintenance agreements, and modifications to the current air distribution systems. APG shared in a portion of the cost of implementation of the agreed-upon interventions, and will also share in a portion of the savings benefits over time. 

Preliminary results thus far reveal significant improvements when compared to the Village’s historical usage. For instance, electric consumption is down 27% over the first five months of 2023, compared to 2022. The Village is also seeing a significant reduction in water usage and overall operational costs, as well as fewer HVAC-related work orders from members. 

“It was important to us to partner with a local firm that not only has demonstrated hands-on experience in decarbonization, but is also truly passionate about creating a long-term, sustainable and innovative office environment,” said Aly Merritt, Managing Director for the Village. “As the results already indicate, we are confident that the investments we’re making will have a significant and positive impact on our ability to continue to be an attractive and forward-thinking place to work for our community.”

Earlier this year, APG announced plans to more broadly deploy its established third-party platform, which includes property management, construction management, leasing and accounting to the Atlanta market. Further, the learnings from the pilot program with the Village will help shape a formalized service of turnkey decarbonization solutions that APG can provide to building owners. 

“Decarbonization has always been a core component of our firm, and we believe there is an opportunity to leverage our expertise and help owners operate their buildings more efficiently,” said Jonathan Rodbell, partner and co-founder of APG. “With this program, our experienced team is physically turning wrenches and working with mechanical equipment to achieve the best possible results. We are in the process of rolling out this service to other owners that recognize the importance of investing in solutions to lower their building’s carbon emissions.”

Most recently, APG announced five new third-party assignments totaling more than 400,000 square feet of office and industrial space. This momentum follows the 1 million square feet of new third-party business APG gained in 2022. An additional 300,000 square feet of new third-party management assignments are pending and will commence this summer.