JLL – Suraya Rahim – 2025
Summary
Suraya Rahim evaluated the financial trade-offs of sustainable certifications in commercial interiors at JLL, revealing that investments in green building practices can achieve measurable returns in energy savings and tenant value within typical leasing cycles.
Goals
Suraya Rahim, a Climate Corps Fellow with a Master’s in Sustainable Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh, spent ten weeks at JLL (Jones Lang LaSalle), a global real estate services firm. Her fellowship focused on analyzing the cost-effectiveness of LEED, WELL, and Zero Carbon certifications in tenant improvement (TI) projects. The core question: Do the long-term benefits of certification outweigh higher upfront capital costs, and how do they compare to business-as-usual (BAU) projects’ Her work supported JLL’s goal of promoting high-performance, resource-efficient buildings by evaluating CAPEX and ROI across certified vs. BAU projects in three United States cities.
Solutions
Rahim conducted a comparative cost-benefit analysis of six projects’three conventionally designed to meet code requirements, and three that achieved LEED, WELL, or Zero Carbon certifications. She collected CAPEX data, energy and water savings estimates, and qualitative insights from project managers across JLL offices in Washington, D.C., Pittsburgh, Atlanta, and Chicago. By leveraging internal tools like pay applications, ACRs (Anticipated Cost Reports), LEED performance calculators, local utility costs for electricity and water, and conducting interviews with stakeholders, she synthesized cost and performance metrics into a clear framework for comparing baseline and sustainable projects to determine savings.
Potential Impact
The findings revealed that sustainability certifications added about $7’$12 per square foot in upfront costs but delivered over $13,000 in annual energy and water savings for a 40,000 sq. ft. space. This equates to a 9-year payback period and a 10-year ROI of ~7%. The results show sustainability is not only a moral imperative but also a financially sound strategy. For tenants, certifications can lead to operational savings when paying utility bills or offer leverage in lease negotiations. They also help attract and retain talent and boost workplace productivity. When applied and scaled, this methodology supports clients in making data-driven decisions on when and where to pursue certifications’aligning ESG goals with financial performance.
