The Willis Tower is currently undergoing a more than $500 million renovation that will transition it from an office building into a neighborhood that delivers life and work experiences.
As part of this evolution, Willis Tower, under LEED’s latest v4.1 rating system, has become the largest building in the United States to earn LEED Platinum certification.
In partnership with Rivion, a Wisconsin-based energy consulting firm, EQ, a U.S. office portfolio company wholly owned by Blackstone's real estate funds, improved the building's environmental quality through a number of building enhancements, including:
— Revamping the heating and cooling (HVAC) system through the installation of state-of-the-art technologies, allowing the Tower to heat and cool more efficiently, which is expected to reduce energy consumption by up to 20 percent.
— Reducing heating water energy consumption by replacing electric hot-water generators with natural gas hot-water boilers.
— Upgrading the building's lighting control system and installing energy-efficient LED lights.
— Installing low-flow high-efficiency sink faucets, toilets and urinals, which is expected to cut approximately 30 percent of the building's water consumption (11 million gallons annually).
The driving force behind the Tower's transformation is Blackstone and EQ's mission to create sustainable experiences and make smart choices that improve the space and environment around its properties.
These values are noticeable in the Tower's new 125,000 square feet of tenant-exclusive amenities, as well as the addition of Catalog, the 300,000 square foot retail, dining and entertainment experience at the base of Willis Tower and the soon-to-open 30,000 square foot outdoor deck and garden.
Related Stories
Urban Planning | Apr 12, 2023
Watch: Trends in urban design for 2023, with James Corner Field Operations
Isabel Castilla, a Principal Designer with the landscape architecture firm James Corner Field Operations, discusses recent changes in clients' priorities about urban design, with a focus on her firm's recent projects.
Sustainability | Apr 10, 2023
4 ways designers can help chief heat officers reduce climate change risks
Eric Corey Freed, Director of Sustainability, CannonDesign, shares how established designers and recently-emerged chief heat officers (CHO) can collaborate on solutions for alleviating climate change risks.
Cladding and Facade Systems | Apr 5, 2023
Façade innovation: University of Stuttgart tests a ‘saturated building skin’ for lessening heat islands
HydroSKIN is a façade made with textiles that stores rainwater and uses it later to cool hot building exteriors. The façade innovation consists of an external, multilayered 3D textile that acts as a water collector and evaporator.
Sustainability | Apr 4, 2023
ASHRAE releases Building Performance Standards Guide
Building Performance Standards (BPS): A Technical Resource Guide was created to provide a technical basis for policymakers, building owners, practitioners and other stakeholders interested in developing and implementing a BPS policy. The publication is the first in a series of seven guidebooks by ASHRAE on building decarbonization.
Sustainability | Apr 4, 2023
NIBS report: Decarbonizing the U.S. building sector will require massive, coordinated effort
Decarbonizing the building sector will require a massive, strategic, and coordinated effort by the public and private sectors, according to a report by the National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS).
Geothermal Technology | Mar 22, 2023
Lendlease secures grants for New York’s largest geothermal residential building
Lendlease and joint venture partner Aware Super, one of Australia’s largest superannuation funds, have acquired $4 million in support from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority to build a geoexchange system at 1 Java Street in Brooklyn. Once completed, the all-electric property will be the largest residential project in New York State to use a geothermal heat exchange system.
Sustainability | Mar 16, 2023
Lack of standards for carbon accounting hamper emissions reduction
A lack of universally accepted standards for collecting, managing, and storing greenhouse gas emissions data (i.e., carbon accounting) is holding back carbon reduction efforts, according to an essay published by the Rocky Mountain Institute.
AEC Innovators | Mar 3, 2023
Meet BD+C's 2023 AEC Innovators
More than ever, AEC firms and their suppliers are wedding innovation with corporate responsibility. How they are addressing climate change usually gets the headlines. But as the following articles in our AEC Innovators package chronicle, companies are attempting to make an impact as well on the integrity of their supply chains, the reduction of construction waste, and answering calls for more affordable housing and homeless shelters. As often as not, these companies are partnering with municipalities and nonprofit interest groups to help guide their production.
Sustainability | Mar 2, 2023
The next steps for a sustainable, decarbonized future
For building owners and developers, the push to net zero energy and carbon neutrality is no longer an academic discussion.
AEC Innovators | Mar 2, 2023
Turner Construction extends its ESG commitment to thwarting forced labor in its supply chain
Turner Construction joins a growing AEC industry movement, inspired by the Design for Freedom initiative, to eliminate forced labor and child labor from the production and distribution of building products.
