"Two-and-a-half years ago, I was introduced to the (green) concept," Cockrum says. "The more I learned about it, the more I realized it was the right thing to do."

Foram intends to keep the building as part of its portfolio, and Cockrum says the LEED certification will appeal to Fortune 500 companies that are beginning to prefer locating in a sustainable building.

"The long-term cost of operations and long-term benefit of this design and these materials will have a payback," Cockrum says. "It was a combined business decision and social decision. Business was the driver."

RTKL Associates of Washington, D.C., designed the two-building office complex with a 30,000-sq-ft public plaza between the buildings. Rod Henderer, a vice president at RTKL, says the concept was to create a space that will have the significance for Miami that Rockefeller Center does for New York.

Green features on the first phase include glazing with two layers of low-E coatings, a receptacle to collect rainwater for irrigation, use of recycled materials and recycling of construction waste.

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