Tampa City Center earns national green building award

The city of Tampa’s landmark municipal complex has earned national recognition for being an example of sustainable, community-focused design, the city announced this week.

City Center at Hanna Avenue, located at 2555 East Hanna Avenue in East Tampa, received a 2026 Project Excellence Award from the U.S. Green Building Council, and was the only building in the state of Florida to earn a USGBC Local Leadership Award this year, according to a release. The USGBC Local Leadership Awards recognizes projects, people and organizations advancing healthier, more sustainable and more resilient communities through innovative building and design. 

This year, the Local Leadership Award was given to 28 projects, 15 individuals and nine organizations across the U.S. 

“We built City Center at Hanna Avenue to better serve our residents and strengthen East Tampa for generations to come,” Tampa Mayor Jane Castor says in the release. “It's an honor to see that vision recognized on a national stage. From the way it uses energy to the way it welcomes people, every part of this building was designed with the future of our community in mind.”

Opened in 2023, City Center at Hanna Avenue is a three-story, 161,000-square-foot administration building that serves as both a municipal office and a community hub. The more than $100 million project is the largest single investment in a combined office and community facility in Tampa’s history, the release says. It consolidates multiple city departments under one roof to streamline public services, advancing the city’s priorities for workforce development, transportation, housing affordability, sustainability and resilience, the release says. 

At the heart of the building is the Agora, a central gathering space that connects indoor and outdoor areas and encourages civic engagement. The entry plaza features tiered seating, shaded gathering areas, and a multipurpose lawn with drop-off area. 

DPR Construction, the prime contractor for the project, was assigned a 35% participation goal for minority and small-business involvement in the construction of the new city center, the release says. The building also recently earned LEED certification for its sustainable design and energy performance. 

Honorees, including the City of Tampa, will be recognized at the ADAPT: Denver Regional Conference in May 2027, with additional recognition throughout the year, the release says.