Building
Green Exchange is located at 2545 West Diversey Avenue alongside the Kennedy Expressway, from which the building’s iconic four story clock tower can be seen. The tower underwent significant rehabilitation in 2008 to restore the façade’s original architectural ornamentation.
The building‘s conversion has been headed by Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture. The first and second floors are intended for retail stores and showrooms while the third and fourth floors are for shared and individual office spaces. About 20 percent of these are work/live units ranging from 700 to 1,500 square feet (140 m2) for business owners who want a kitchenette and bath and for start-up owners who want to live in their workspace. Additional tenant amenities include bike rooms, showers and environmentally friendly meeting and event space.
The 272,000-square-foot (25,300 m2), four story building is U-shaped, divided into two wings separated by a courtyard. This layout allows natural light to penetrate from more than 600 windows that surround the building. The courtyard is being converted into a parking structure with priority parking for low-emitting vehicles.
The roof of the parking structure will feature an 8,041-square-foot (747.0 m2) sky garden that will be accessible from the second floor. Rain is collected in a 41,329-gallon cistern underneath the ground floor and used to irrigate plants and grass on the roof.
The building lowers utility costs in part due to a building envelope consisting of highly insulated walls and roofs combined with 600 high performance windows. The escalator slows down when no one is using it, thereby reducing energy usage by as much as 30 percent when compared to standard models.
A sophisticated computerized Intelli-Building Automated Building Controls System with over five miles of wire and conduit controls the energy efficient HVAC system that allows for individualized control of tenant spaces and increased occupant comfort. CO2 sensors in each of the 150 plus comfort zones insure the tennants are breathing fresh air, along with saving wasted energy. Non-toxic construction materials and coatings improve the indoor air quality.
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