Denver is the No. 7 greenest office market in the country, according to the 2017 National Green Building Adoption Index published recently by CBRE in partnership with Maastricht University. The index measures office space that holds either an EPA Energy Star label, LEED certification or both. Some 13.3% of Denver's office space does.

The report found a correlation between benchmarking ordinances, like that recently enacted in Denver, and the rate of growth in green buildings.

Topping the list was Chicago, followed by San Francisco, Atlanta, Houston, the Twin Cities and LA. Denver managed to beat out D.C., Seattle and Manhattan.

Of the top 25 leases signed in 2016, the report noted, five were in LEED- certified buildings and seven were in Energy Star-labeled buildings. The largest lease last year in the Denver metro area was a 357K SF renewal executed at 1670 Broadway, an Energy Star building. TIAA inked that deal.

Denver's energy benchmarking ordinance passed late in 2016, applying to commercial buildings 25K SF and greater. When fully rolled out, the policy is expected to cover around 360M SF annually.