The thick concrete panels of the old warehouse were ripped away and replaced with windows, creating an open, very light-driven, contemporary structure like sitting in a terminal at O’Hare Airport. The building was also equipped with an overhang protecting the glass walls from emitting too much light in the wrong areas. The orientation of the building takes advantage of morning sunlight. “I don’t really consider it a loss. We feel that considering this is the first Gold Certified Police building in the country, and that there were no renewable technology added to the building, we did very well.”

This a project designed by an architect as his own family residence. It is another example of a budget-conscious but reasonably responsible design. Most of the green investment goes into energy-saving, but easily achievable features - rigid exterior insulation with spray foam insulation between studs, high-efficiency mechanical systems, and an Energy Star roof.

Location
4227 S. St. Lawrence, Chicago, IL 60653 Map
Owner
Om Development, LLC

Architect
Echo Studio

4227 S. St. Lawrence  is a just-completed home from a new entry on Chicago’s green development scene, Om Development. The project is a gut rehab of an 1890’s Bronzeville multifamily back into a single-family home. There’s not a lot of green bling here, just solid energy-efficiency [...]

Location
2202 N. Orchard, Chicago, IL 60614 Map
Owner
Private Residence
Architect
Dirk Denison Architects
The Orchard Residence is a 9,700 sf, 3-story plus basement single-family home currently under construction (6,600 sf with basement and garage). This is the largest home we’ve covered yet and is certain to raise some eyebrows because of the materials and energy consumption associated with such [...]

Location
2020 W. Rice, Chicago, IL 60662 Map
Owner
Private Residences
Architect
Wolbrink Architects Chartered

2020 Green Dream is a 3-unit, 5,700 sf multifamily residence built as a speculative, for-sale development. This project exemplifies a straightforward, reasonable-cost approach to green that should be replicable by other for-profit developments. All units are Energy Star rated and the architect recently won a GreenWorks [...]

Location
1101 S. Canal, Chicago, IL 60607 Map
Owner
Whole Foods Market Group, Inc.
Architect
Heights Venture Architects, LLP
The South Loop Whole Foods Market is a 53,000 sf organic foods grocery store located within the new Southgate Market development. This will be Whole Foods’ largest store in Chicago and is seeking a Certified rating under LEED® for Commercial Interiors. There [...]