One of the largest office buildings in Chicago, the downtown Franklin Center office complex, has earned certification from the U.S. Green Building Council for sustainability measures taken at the 2.5 million sq. ft. complex. Tishman Speyer manages the property.
The Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design - Existing Buildings (LEED-EB) silver designation recognizes operational efficiency with lessened environmental impact. It addresses cleaning and maintenance issues, including including chemical use, recycling programs, exterior maintenance, and systems upgrades.
Upgrades at the building before and throughout the LEED certification process include reduction of annual energy consumption by nearly 2 million kilowatt hours. The property also earned an Energy Star label from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The building’s score of 81 indicates that the building uses energy more efficiently than 81% of comparable buildings in the market.
The company also reduced water use by 5.4 million gallons per year. In addition, it expanded the building’s recycling program to include batteries, electronic waste, printer toner, furniture and construction debris, in addition to light bulbs, office paper and other waste. The building has recycling more than 870,000 pounds of material over the past year, diverting more than 1,300 cubic yards of waste from the landfill.
Tishman Speyer also started a green cleaning policy focused on improving air quality and ensuring the purchase of sustainable cleaning and janitorial paper supplies.
Designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, Franklin Center includes two connected buildings at 222 West Adams Street and 227 West Monroe Street in Chicago. Tishman Speyer manages the property on behalf of a joint venture that includes the Australia-based Tishman Speyer Office Fund.