The Grossinger City Autoplex at 1500 N. Dayton is, first and foremost, an example of large-scale, urban adaptive reuse. The project is the reimage a building that once played host to a jukebox manufacturer and most recently a Home Depot EXPO Design Center. The new Grossinger City Autoplex, currently under construction, will house a multi-line automotive retail sales and service center for three manufacturers, including Toyota, Cadillac and Chevrolet. Thanks in part to TIF requirements, the facility has been designed to meet LEED-NC Version 2.2 LEED Silver certification, and has successfully participated the City of Chicago Green Permit process.

Jewel-Osco is seeking LEED® certification for its first green grocery and drug store. The store opened on September 26, 2008 at 370 N. Desplaines St. in Chicago’s Fulton Market District. The store has been in development for 5 years due to the complexity of the design and pre-qualification requirements for LEED® Certification. The completed building features energy-efficient heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems, water-saving features, energy-efficient lighting, and even an on-site chef who cooks with locally-grown and produced foods.

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.”

The Heppner Residence is an example of extreme do-it-yourself green renovation. This existing 100 year-old wood frame single family home is being rebuilt by Tim and Charles Heppner, two brothers, with Tim acting as architect and performing most construction work himself. The Heppner brothers are seeking Energy Star and Chicago Green Homes certification for their new home.

Location
1328 W. Morse, Chicago, IL 60626  Map
Owner
1328 Morse LLC
Architect
Greene & Proppe Design 
 The Morse Theater is a renovation of a nearly-abandoned 1912 Nickelodeon theater building into a 299-seat music venue and a 99-seat restaurant (The Century Public House). The renovation includes all-new interior structure and mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems, including addition of a mezzanine bringing [...]

Location
11045 S. Wentworth, Chicago, IL 60628  Map
Owner
Mercy Housing Lakefront
Architect
Harley Ellis Devereaux
Wentworth Commons is a 4-story, 65,800 sf apartment building with 51 units and supportive services on the first floor. The building opened in June 2005, was designed to be green from its initiation, and is seeking LEED® Certification. Detailed case studies are available here and [...]