Green architectural design links ecology and economy
Claiming that it does sounds like an overheated sales pitch from a leasing agent, but that's precisely the goal of the design for a 51-story building at 111 S. Wacker.
Opened in 2005, it certainly improved the lives of its original investors because it sold this year for $386 million, believed to be a Chicago record on a square-foot basis, 43 percent above its construction cost.
The possible beneficiaries go beyond that, the building's supporters say. They include tenants that, because of how the building's systems work, could see a healthier, happier work force. And the argument can be made that 111 S. Wacker helps the planet itself.
It is the first office building anywhere, other than those designed for a single tenant, to receive special recognition for its environmental friendliness.
The building, designed by Chicago's Goettsch Partners, was the first to get a "gold" rating under a program called LEED. The acronym stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design in a program administered by the U.S. Green Building Council.
The achievement has earned the building and Goettsch a 2006 Chicago Innovation Award.
To earn a gold rating, 111 S. Wacker included elements such as a landscaped roof to cut down on the urban heat-island effect, a storm-water collection system to water those rooftop plants and an internal system for recycling and compacting trash.
"Gold" is the second best ranking an office building can get under the LEED program, but is thought to be the highest one in practical reach. The No. 1 "platinum" grade requires wind turbines and other intrusive features that send a building's cost sky-high.
Attaining the gold added less than 1 percent to the $270 million construction cost, said Steven Nilles, partner at the Goettsch firm. But even that small amount would have been erased if Nilles and the developer, John Buck Co., hadn't gone to the extra expense of demonstrating to tenants that LEED certification was in their financial interest.
That's the true achievement of 111 S. Wacker, linking ecology and economy, green goals to greenbacks. Nilles convinced tenants that the design could help employers create an office with high productivity and low turnover, because the building's skin allows deep penetration of light and air-filtration systems are state-of-the-art.
"The LEED movement is about saving energy but, more importantly, it's about bettering the workplace," Nilles said.
To earn the gold rating, the building included the latest devices for saving electricity and reducing water usage. It also earned credits for reusing the foundation from an old building at the Wacker and Monroe location. Nilles said the efforts were validated by the high sales price the building commanded.
The price reflects a rent premium that 111's occupants, such as accounting firm Deloitte & Touche and law firm Lord, Bissell & Brook, are willing to pay for the building's benefits. It's too soon to tell if the building's promises of a better work place are being delivered in a measurable way.
But Nilles said it has put the topic of LEED certification on the minds of more developers and large users of space, some of which have a corporate policy to help the environment when possible. That will raise design standards for buildings, leading to the next breakthrough for environmentally friendly buildings: improved air quality and power generation.