Written by Reyna Basa, Communications Intern
According to the 2017 National Green Building Adoption Index, CBRE Group Inc. and Maastricht University recognize Chicago as the national leader in energy efficient office buildings, maintaining the highest percentage nationally in LEED certified buildings.
We at Delta are happy to have played a role in the greening of Chicago’s built environment. In 2013, we led the Merchandise Mart’s Gold LEED certification, making it the largest Gold LEED certified commercial building in Chicago. Delta also was chosen to lead the engineering crew of Prudential Plaza in overhauling their energy initiatives to gain LEED certification.
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In 2015, we assisted the Field Museum in gaining its Gold LEED certification through a number of impactful projects implemented over the course of 2 years. These projects include energy-efficient lighting, green landscaping, and water and waste reduction. As one of the world’s largest natural history museums, the Field Museum became one of two museums awarded LEED-EB O+M Gold certification as of 2015 and contributed 1.1 M sq.ft. of energy efficient space.
Through our work with other Chicago buildings, including NBC Tower, Presidential Towers, One East Delaware, Wicker Park Apartments, and 350 W Mart Center Drive, we’ve improved the energy efficiency of over 15 million square feet of building space.
The 2017 National Green Building Adoption Index found that Chicago grew significantly in the amount of green, energy-efficient space through a 6.5 percent increase in the last year. Additionally, Chicago continues to lead in having the most LEED and Energy Star certified office space, growing to 66 percent in the last year.
Since 2011, Chicago’s commitment to becoming a leader in energy efficiency and sustainability has seen great success by meeting Mayor Emanuel’s goal of doubling the number of municipally-owned buildings becoming LEED certified by 2014. The 2017 National Green Building Adoption Index specifically cited Mayor Emanuel’s Benchmarking Ordinance as one of the factors contributing to the successful expansion of energy efficiency across the city of Chicago.
Download our infographic to see how we contribute to making Chicago a more resilient and sustainable city.