The largest green office building in Florida is set to go up on Miami's Brickell Avenue, adding momentum to the sustainable building movement in a state that has lagged far behind places like California, New York and Europe.

Developer Foram Group plans to demolish the office building at 600 Brickell Avenue by March and build in its place a 40-story, 601,000-square-foot office tower called Brickell Financial Centre. The privately held Miami builder is seeking LEED certification -- a designation issued by the U.S. Green Building Council -- for the structure.

Groundbreaking is set for April, with completion in 2009.

To date, not a single building in South Florida is certified LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. A handful of developers have announced plans to get green building certification, but none have earned it yet and none would be this big.

Across Florida, just 10 buildings are certified green, compared to more than 70 in California.

''I wish it was a noble cause, but building green was really a business decision,'' said Loretta H. Cockrum, Chairman and CEO of Foram Group. ``We didn't want to find ourselves 10 years from now with a building that was competing with all new buildings that would all be LEED certified.''

CUTTING COSTS

Green building significantly cuts energy and water usage, including reducing emissions that cause global warming. Private developers and financial institutions are increasingly embracing the concept because it can also increase the bottom line.

The upfront costs for green building are now virtually the same as for conventional construction, experts say. Also, green building reduces operating costs and is increasingly sought after by users. Studies have shown that elements like enhanced natural light and cleaner air result in reduced absenteeism in offices, better performance in schools and even better sales in stores.

Foram's announcement of a specific timeline to build not only gives a jolt to the green building movement locally but raises the stakes in the competition to construct office buildings in Miami's downtown area. Large-scale office development had taken a back seat to condominium building, but that is changing.

Developer Alan Ojeda has announced plans to build a 35-floor, 588,000-square-foot tower at 1450 Brickell Ave. and builder MDM Group plans a 47-floor, 712,000-square-foot tower called Met 2 in the heart of downtown. Some observers say three large office buildings would be way too much at once, transforming Miami's tight office market into one with an excess of office space.

The conventional wisdom is that one building will drop out. Yet all three builders continue to insist they are going forward.

Brickell Financial Centre is also slated to come with ground-floor restaurants and three-quarters of an acre of open space at its doorstep. The proportions of the outdoor plaza are comparable to Rockefeller Center in New York, Cockrum said. Plans also call for a second phase with a hotel and retail space.

Green building continues to gather steam in South Florida, despite a slow start. In December Miami Mayor Manny Diaz hosted U.S. Green Building Council CEO Richard Fedrizzi at a conference on sustainable building. Diaz held another forum on green building this week, and Pembroke Pines Mayor Frank Ortis has also been an outspoken advocate for sustainable construction.

MORE PROJECTS

Projects currently seeking LEED-certification status that are in the works or completed include a public library in Pembroke Pines by Broward County and Broward Community College, Florida Atlantic University's Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing in Boca Raton and Holly Real Estate's 130,000-square-foot office-condo in Miami called Miami Green.

Liberty Property Trust, a Philadelphia-based builder, plans a LEED-certified office park in Miramar that is to include two four-story, 110,000-square-foot buildings. The University of Miami has pledged that its hospital planned near Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami will be LEED certified.