Three structures in a Chicago commercial and residential development have been awarded LEED Gold certification by the US Green Building Council, Commercial Property Executive reports.
Structured Development completed the 390,000-square-foot NEWCITY project in 2015. It includes retail and commercial space in three buildings, and a 19-story, 199-unit luxury rental tower, which also earned a LEED Gold designation in early 2016.
In addition to reducing facilities’ environmental footprint, LEED-certified buildings save money on utility bills and operational expenses. The 2015 Green Building Economic Impact Study estimates from 2015-2018, LEED-certified buildings in the US will have saved more than $2.1 billion in combined energy, water, maintenance and waste expenses.
During construction, the NEWCITY developers implemented a waste management program that recycled more than 75 percent of the project’s waste — one of the green building features that helped the structures achieve LEED Gold. Additionally, about 20 percent of the total construction cost was spent on materials extracted, harvested, recovered and manufactured within 500 miles of the site, which reduces emissions from material transportation.
Other green-building features include low-flow water fixtures that reduce consumption by 30 percent; a storm water management system that collects rainwater, decreasing runoff by 25 percent; technology and materials that minimize rising surface temperatures for more than 50 percent of the roads, sidewalks, courtyards and parking lots; and 83,000 square feet of green roofing.
The newly certified green-building components include building A, which houses Dick’s Sporting Goods, Capital One and Earls Kitchen + Bar. The property’s parking garage and the retail portion of building B, which includes Z Gallerie and Saks Fifth Avenue OFF 5th, also earned LEED Gold.
The LEED Gold certification follows a USGBC report released last week that found that venues that incorporate LEED into their buildings increase cost-savings, decrease annual operating costs and see a higher return on investment overall. The Orlando Magic’s Amway Center, for example, saved almost $1 million a year — including about $700,000 in annual energy costs alone — because of LEED certification.
