10 and 120 S. Riverside Plaza, which together earned the 2011-2012 TOBY Earth Award. Image courtesy of Behringer Harvard.

The Earth Award went to 10 and 120 South Riverside Plaza, owned and managed by Behringer Harvard. Constructed between 1965 and 1967, the 21-story twin towers have received an Energy Star rating from the EPA of between 84 and 90 for the past four years. The USGBC has also awarded both properties a LEED-EBOM Silver rating.

The winner in the 100,000 – 249,000 Square Feet Category was the brutalist gem along the riverfront, 55 West Wacker Drive, which is managed by MB Real Estate and owned by 55 West Wacker Owner’s Association. The next largest size category, 250,000 – 499,000 Square Feet, went to the CBRE-managed 303 West Madison Street. Owned by 303 Madison Chicago, LLC, the 24-year-old structure is notable for its stained glass lobby window.

One South Dearborn won in the 500,000 – One Million Square Feet Category. Managed by Hines and owned by South Dearborn, LLC, the building features unique angles and an interesting topper. A relative newcomer to the loop, the Hyatt Center at 71 South Wacker Drive won the largest size category, Over One Million Square Feet. Owned by the Irvine Company and managed by Jones Lang LaSalle, this building is recognizable for its football-shaped cross section and bamboo-filled lobby.

Other awards went to The Rookery in the Historical Building category, 101 North Wacker Drive for Renovated Building and The Realtor Building in the Corporate Facility category.

“This year’s TOBY Award recipients are truly leaders in their respective categories and demonstrate exemplary management and operations of Chicago’s commercial buildings,” said Robert Six, BOMA/Chicago president. “These office buildings drive our economy and outstanding property management is essential to ensuring Chicago remains a global center of commerce.”

BOMA/Chicago TOBY Award winners will be invited to participate in the North Central Regional TOBY competition, where they will compete against local TOBY winners from cities in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan and Ohio. Regional winners qualify for the BOMA International TOBY Awards, one of the highest honors in the commercial real estate industry. Last year, the FBI Chicago Regional Office won a BOMA International TOBY Award in the Earth Award Category.

A rendering of the proposed Cermak stop on the Green Line. Image courtesy of CDOT.

The new $50 million, TIF-supported Green Line station at Cermak, located in the nearly three mile-stretch between the existing Roosevelt and 35th Street stations will provide much needed access to rapid transit for neighborhood residents and businesses. It will also provide another access point to McCormick Place in an attempt to revitalize Chicago’s recently wobbly convention industry.

The new ADA-accessible station we be able to accommodate eight-car trains and will feature grade-level ticket purchasing and other station functions. Construction is set to begin next February and conclude by July 2014.

Another new station, to be located in the Loop, isn’t designed to increase access like the Cermak Green Line stop but to replace two aging stations. The new elevated station at Washington and Wabash will supplant the two century-old stations at Randolph and Madison.

Like other Loop stops, the $75 million, ADA-compliant station will have fare controls, security and communications rooms on the mezzanine level, with access by stair, escalator or elevator. The platforms will also be widened from the existing 7′-6″ width to 10′ to 13″. Construction should run from April 2013 to September 2014.

The Red Line subway stop at Clark and Division is now slated for a complete renovation, much like the Grand Avenue station where Emanuel made his statements. A new 6,300 square-foot mezzanine will be the first new mezzanine to be constructed since the Red Line subway was originally built in the 1940s.

Project highlights include energy efficient lighting, new fare collection equipment, new wall and ceiling architectural finishes, granite floors, upgraded communication and security equipment and new enclosed stairs and escalators. The $86 million, two-year renovation of this station will upgrade the deteriorated and out-of-date facility and enhance the station’s appearance and operation.

After three years of construction, the recently renovated Grand Avenue Red Line stop features many upgrades that the announced new and refurbished stations should expect to see. The public area of the mezzanine and fare array were expanded 40% to improve circulation and increase capacity. Space was also allotted for temporary fare machines during special events.

The 70-year-old escalators were replaced with faster, more reliable ones and new elevators brought the station into ADA compliance. The station also features electronic signage that can deliver up to the minute information to riders. Security and safety measures include higher lighting levels on the mezzanine and platform and a new electrical backup system in case of evacuation.

“These are crucial investments that will pay dividends for many years,” said CTA President Forrest Claypool. “Our public transit requires upgrades so we can compete on a global scale, and these are key investments that we can make quickly and effectively.” According to forecasts developed under the Chicago Central Area Plan, the entering volume of the Grand Avenue Red Line station alone is expected to by at least 50% by 2020.

Ten years ago, the city of Chicago introduced its Energy Conservation Code, based largely on the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC). The 2001 Chicago Energy Code was written to increase savings by lessening energy drain both commercially and residentially.

In that time, it has been revised twice: in 2006 and 2009. These revisions have seen some modest gains in efficiency. The 2009 edition, for example, contains a 15% increase in overall energy savings beyond the 2006 book.

New sections have been added over the years, like 18-13-506.6.2 which discusses exterior building light power densities. Section 18-13-505.7 states that in buildings having individual dwelling units, provisions shall be made to determine the electrical energy consumed by each tenant by separately metering individuals units.

The major differences between the different versions of the Chicago Energy Code have covered disparate subtrades. Section 18-13-101, for example, discusses the different slope of roofs and the materials used in each one. Section 18-13-402 covers the building thermal envelope to limit infiltration, fenestration air leakage and sealing recessed light fixtures to limit air leakage between conditioned and unconditioned space.

While Section 18-13-503.4 deals with hydronic systems using 3-pipe systems, two-pipe changeover and water loop heat pump systems, 18-13-503.2 talks about the duct construction, using either low-pressure duct systems, medium-pressure duct systems or high-pressure duct systems.

An addition to section 18-13-404 authorizes the Building Commissioner to require time-of-use pricing in energy cost calculations when dealing with a proposed residence. Once the residence is shown to have an annual energy cost or usage that is less than or equal to that of the standard reference design, there are compliance software tools that can generate a report that documents that the proposed design has low annual energy cost.

In 2012, the Chicago Energy Code will become even more stringent. One consequence of accepting federal stimulus funding is that Illinois must be in compliance with the latest version of the IECC. Illinois has decided to renew on a three-year cycle, meaning that Illinois, and all of its municipalities, must comply with the 2012 IECC next year.

There is an exception for Chicago, however. Being a home rule government, Chicago is awarded the option of doing more than the minimum standard. For most other municipalities, the state requirements have both a floor and a ceiling; they cannot do more and they cannot do less. But Chicago may, and likely will, create a higher standard than what is going on at the state level.

This is not apropos of nothing. The 2006 version of the IECC divided the country into geographic zones. Chicago physically lies in Zone 5, but the city adopted the standards as they related to Zone 6, which is climatically equivalent to Milwaukee. Because of this, changing to a new edition of the IECC is not as difficult, as Chicago has already crafted a higher standard for itself.

One of the biggest changes coming in the next edition, according to Beth Scanlan, Director of Code Development for the Chicago Department of Buildings, has to do with mechanical systems, which weren’t addressed as fully in the past. Also, the now optional blower test to detect a building’s air infiltration problem areas will become required.

Overall, the next edition of the Chicago Energy Conservation Code should see an increase in energy savings similar to earlier versions. “There is an expectation of an additional 15% savings to jump from 2009 to 2012,” said Scanlan. “So we are talking about a 30% increase in efficiencies and cost savings within a six year time period. That’s a pretty significant jump.”

Registered energy professionals—architects and engineers who have been vetted by the city to pre-approve drawings as being energy code compliant prior to submitting for a permit—will also see changes soon as well. “There will probably be additional enforcements put in place in terms of both plan review and inspections,” said Scanlan, adding that those who are already registered with the city will very likely have to recertify once the new version has been adopted.

All of these ordinances have been established to make Chicago more energy efficient. Our wise usage of the energy economy is essential to Chicago staying competitive. Aggressive improvement of energy efficiency in all of Chicago’s buildings, both residential and commercial, is an economic necessity that we cannot overlook.

Photo: David B. Gleason

“Cities recognize parks are good for their economies. They’re no longer nice things to have, but a must,” said Will Rogers, President and Chief Executive of the nonprofit Trust for Public Land (TPL), a national conservation group based in San Francisco. Many case studies show a direct correlation between business growth for start-ups and creative companies as well as increased health benefits directly adjacent to these parks.

The Canadian Pacific Railway owns the elevated tracks, but the rails have been train-free for over a decade. Ben Helphand, president of the Friends of the Bloomingdale Trail, and Beth White, Director of TPL’s Chicago office have worked with project planners and volunteers. “It’s much more than just a trail,” said Helphand. “I see it as a thing with infinite capacity.”

Their vision is to transform the rail corridor to a green parkway that would seamlessly connect 37 blocks and four communities. “[The railroad line] has served as a physical barrier for so long between the communities,” said White. “The trail is a way for the communities to work together and learn about each other. It’s really breaking barriers in a different way.”

The project has seen an increase in attention over the past year because of a campaign pledge by Mayor Rahm Emanuel to see the project come to life during his first term. Just last month, the trail’s design and engineering study was commissioned. This will identify the costs involved and devise a more accurate timeline of the project’s completion.

Structural engineering firm ARUP, notable for the “Water Cube” at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, will design the trail and gather public input throughout the process. They will inventory the conditions of the bridges, perform environmental impact studies and make construction plans. Their work is expected to be completed in 2012.

Photo: Payton Chung

Alderman Roberto Maldonado (26th) lives within walking distance of the trail. As an advocate of the plan, he plans to do his weekly runs on it when it opens. “I would like it done tomorrow, if I could,” said Maldonado. “It’s a wonderful and different level of open space.”

However, not all residents are as excited about the project. Longtime Bucktown resident Joan Fox, whose house is feet from the corridor, remembers when trains would bring circus animals to town. She claims that all this publicity about the trail has brought nothing but an influx in users and crime with vagrants to the area. Her neighbors said that their buildings have been tagged with graffiti, rocks have thrown through windows and they have experienced several break-ins.

“Three feet away, you can hear them snoring,” Fox said. “I didn’t really want them living right against my house and making music into the morning hours and going to the bathroom outside my children’s window.”

Fox said she will support the project if the concerns of those who live along the trail are taken into account. “The idea is great; it’s just how will safety measures and security measures be incorporated for everyone.”

When the trail is completed, it will be owned and maintained by the Chicago Park District and the Friends of the Bloomingdale Trail will be its stewards. However, TPL is negotiating and acquiring key pieces of land which they will hold prior to turning it over to the park district. TPL also helps with coordination between all parties involved, which, in addition to the Friends and the Park District includes the Chicago Department of Transportation and the Chicago Department of Housing and Economic Development.

At this point, the total cost of the project is tough to estimate, according to Joseph Bornstein, Project Manager for the Chicago Park District, because the engineering studies have yet to be completed and the subsequent work on all of the 37 bridges has to be identified.

White said that approximately $2 to 10 million has been invested thus far, with 10% of that coming from private donations and the rest a mixture of public funds and grants. She says the pre-engineering estimate for the entire project could be about $75 million but cannot give finalized numbers because it could change on the outcome of the design and engineering study.

As for now, Helphand and White say that the communities are benefiting from the planning. Albany Whipple Park was dedicated in June and is already blooming with kids playing, dogs barking and bicycles. “What’s so exciting for us is the recognition of how important parks are to community health – economically, physically and spiritually,” said White. “It’s really fascinating to see how much people care about their parks.”

Courtesy Chicago Department of Aviation

The project was designed to reduce delays and increase capacity at the airfield. Spend some money now, the thinking goes (the current OMP budget is estimated at $8 billion), and make more later once O’Hare’s prominence as a transportation hub is carried on into the 21st century.

“The historic O’Hare Modernization Project has received more federal funding than any other airport reconstruction project in history,” said U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL). “That remarkable federal investment fuels O’Hare’s position as the economic engine for the region, solidifies Chicago’s role as a global transportation hub and will pay dividends for our state and nation for years to come.”

As we’ve seen before, however, the needs of capitalism and conservation need not deviate. In keeping with the city’s standards of environmental stewardship, the OMP created a sustainable design manual in 2003 to guide the green aspects of the airport modernization.

The manual calls for myriad sustainable practices in the areas of site management, water and energy use, indoor air quality, facility operations, construction materials and others.

Since then, renovations have already begun at O’Hare in what is one of the largest public works projects in the nation. Further, the 2003 design manual has been revised; this October the city issued a Sustainable Airport Manual (SAM), which they describe as a “living document” that will evolve as new technologies, designs and principles emerge.

The city also expects the SAM to guide the construction and renovation of airports across the world. Rosemarie Andolino, Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA), hopes that the new manual and the changes wrought at O’Hare “will continue to evolve as a benchmark for environmental stewardship in design and construction.”

The modernization plan will take several years to complete over various phases. Some of the work has already concluded, however. 2008 was a busy year, with a 3,000-foot extension to the airport’s busiest runways, one brand new runway and a new air traffic control tower. All of these projects opened on or ahead of schedule and under budget.

Courtesy Chicago Department of Aviation

The tower’s cantilever design and 30-degree angle windows provide more than just great views of the green roof below. According to Bill Mumper, air traffic manager at the airport, the angled glass keeps rainwater off so that all but the most violent storms won’t occlude visibility.

Also completed in 2008 was the first new runway at the airport since 1971. At 7,500 feet long and 150 feet wide, runway 9L-27R is capable of handling the next generation of very large aircraft, such as the Airbus A-380 and Boeing 787.

Incredibly, 100% of all excavated concrete and asphalt waste was reused onsite, according to John Patelski, Managing Director and President of Engineering and Construction at Epstein, the Chicago-based engineering firm that led the runway’s design. Half of other construction and demolition debris was diverted from landfills, while more than half of the new construction materials were acquired locally. minimizing off-site transportation impacts.

Where possible, existing navigational equipment and lighting were salvaged and reused. Landscaping of the runway expansion was one of the first uses of new low-maintenance, tall fescue seed mix. This mix eliminated the need to import over 17,000 cubic yards of topsoil. The site also features waste re-use and recycling and water-efficient landscaping. The developers were conscious of sustainable energy design by using rapidly renewable resources.

The newest feature to the main terminal parking garage opened this year: a public electric vehicle (EV) charging station. Capable of fully charging an electric vehicle in approximately four to eight hours, the station was installed as part of a project, the first and largest of its kind in the US, of 280 city-wide EV charging stations. The Chicago Department of Environment and a private company, 350Green, which installs and maintains the stations, plan on expanding the program at both airports and elsewhere in the city.

A Federal Express warehouse at O’Hare has also joined in. The 175,000 square foot vegetated roof atop the FedEx Cargo Relocation Facility is the largest freestanding green roof in the city and the second largest at an airport in the world.

Designed and developed by Intrinsic Landscaping, Inc., the FedEx Cargo building is one of 12 green roof structures between O’Hare International and Midway Airport. FedEx calculates that this structure will save 20 cents per square foot of green roof per year on energy costs alone and will absorb approximately two million gallons of storm water each year.

The ability of green roofs to retain rainwater and curb the urban heat island effect are especially apt for an airport, where a large percentage of the footprint is impervious concrete.

Photo: Joseph Yaroch

One highly visible green addition to passengers walking through Concourse G is a new aeroponic garden. A joint effort between the CDA and HMSHost, O’Hare’s food service provider, the urban garden will provide produce for the airport’s restaurants including Tortas Frontera, Wicker Park Seafood & Sushi, Blackhawks Restaurant and Tuscany. Vegetables include Swiss chard, lettuce, habanero peppers and green beans, as well as herbs like basil, cilantro, dill, parsley, chives, thyme, oregano and even edible flowers.

“Producing and purchasing locally grown foods supports the CDA’s commitment to sustainability by strengthening the local economy and job market, providing a unique learning opportunity for travelers and reducing urban sprawl, traffic congestion, habitat loss and pollution from transportation of produce,” said Andolino. The eight-foot tall aeroponic towers require no weed-pulling, use two-thirds less water than conventional gardens and produce a higher yield per square foot.

Midway Airport will soon follow suit with a new composting program for the 13 restaurants that operate there. Under the program, all of the restaurants at Midway will collect pre-consumer food waste, which will then be delivered to an off-site, certified composting facility in the Chicago area for later use as fertilizer.

Since it is so large in scope, the modernization project is only partly done despite years of work. The CDA recently announced plans for a massive solar panel installation, which would supply renewable energy to the airport while helping to grow the region’s alternative energy market. Up to 60 acres of airport land will soon sport ground-mounted solar panels.

Future plans also call for a fueling station that would supply multiple alternative fuels such as compressed natural gas, biodiesel, ethanol and electric vehicle charging to commercial and private vehicles at and around O’Hare. Dozens of taxis making more than 3,000 trips to O’Hare have already been using compressed natural gas as part of the city’s Green Taxi Program which launched in August.

As the airport modernization continues, another new control tower will be built. Plans call for the tower to go up by 2015, in time to accommodate heightened air traffic on a new runway. The FAA has committed $3.4 million for the design of the new facility, and in keeping with the commitments built into the OMP, it will be constructed with green materials and practices.