The Green Exchange is a sustainable and green retail and office development project in the Logan Square community area of

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

that is designed to house eco-friendly businesses and organizations. Developers of the building have been awarded

LEED Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a Green building certification systems, green building certification program used worldwide. Developed by the non-profit U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), it includes a set of rating ...

Platinum status for their rehabilitation of a historic landmark four-story manufacturing facility originally built in 1914."Going Green with ABC 7", ABC 7 Chicago – July, 2008 The retail and office space is open to the public and is intended to serve as an important Midwest destination for green consumers.

History

Green Exchange occupies the former Frederick Cooper Lamp Company building, built in 1914, and originally home to the Vassar Swiss Underwear Company. Cooper bought the building in 1967 and in 2005, relocated to China.June, 2008, "Nice Modernists," Dwell Magazine, issue 64, page 80 In 2004, Cooper announced it was closing down the factory in Chicago. In order to keep the building from being turned into condominiums, the Logan Square Neighborhood Association (LSNA), a grass-roots community organization, organized neighbors, veteran Cooper workers, and the

U.S. Green Building Council The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), founded in 1993, is a private 501(c)(3), membership-based non-profit organization that promotes sustainability in building design, construction, and operation. USGBC is best known for its development of t ...

to form the Cooper Lamps Task Force. As Cooper began to lay off workers during the summer of 2005, the Task Force negotiated for severance benefits from the owners and applied for enhanced job-training from the city. With the support of 1st Ward Alderman Manuel Flores for a jobs-focused use for the plant, the building was sold to Baum Development, LLC, a triple bottom line commercial developer who agreed to pursue a use for the building that would create jobs. Baum Development worked with the

Commission on Chicago Landmarks In-Commission or commissioning may refer to: Business and contracting * Commission (remuneration), a form of payment to an agent for services rendered ** Commission (art), the purchase or the creation of a piece of art most often on behalf of anot ...

and the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all List ...

to win landmark protection for the building. Ninety-six percent of the original building structure was rehabilitated and maintained to preserve this landmark structure.Jeanette Almada, December 9, 2007, "Green Exchange taking the next step," Chicago Tribune Three times larger than the Jean Vollum Natural Capital Center in Portland, OR, Green Exchange is the country's largest sustainable business community.Azam Ahmed, February 25, 2007, "Going green: Project envisions eco-friendly shopping center," Chicago Tribune According to David Baum, one of the developers, "In order to be a tenant in Green Exchange, you must be doing something to advance the green marketplace." Chicago Mayor

Richard M. Daley Richard Michael Daley (born April 24, 1942) is an American politician who served as the 54th mayor of Chicago, Illinois, from 1989 to 2011. Daley was elected mayor in 1989 and was reelected five times until declining to run for a seventh ter ...

has described the project as "a great example of the public-private partnerships that are working together to help make Chicago one of the most environmentally friendly cities in the nation."Keith Schneider, July 25, 2007, "In Chicago, a Haven for Green Enterprise," New York Times

Building

Green Exchange is located at 2545 West Diversey Avenue alongside the

Kennedy Expressway The John F. Kennedy Expressway is a nearly freeway in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Portions of the freeway carry I-190, I-90 and I-94. The freeway runs in a southeast–northwest direction between the central city neighborhood of the ...

, 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 have retail stores and showrooms while the third and fourth floors are for shared and individual office spaces. Additional tenant amenities include bike rooms, showers and environmentally friendly meeting and event space. The , 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 roof of the parking structure features a sky garden that is 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 and the working organic garden at grade level. 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 Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC ) is the use of various technologies to control the temperature, humidity, and purity of the air in an enclosed space. Its goal is to provide thermal comfort and acceptable indoor air quality. ...

mechanical system that allows for individualized control of tenant spaces and increased occupant comfort. sensors and motion sensors in each of the 250 plus comfort zones insure the tenants are breathing fresh air, along with saving energy. Variable speed frequency drives (VFDs) control every pump and blower motor averaging a 30% savings over conventional systems. Building engineers operate the building via laptops and tablets thru standard web browsers. Non-toxic construction materials and coatings improve the indoor air quality.

Features

The Green Exchange has a variety of features, including a sky garden, an on-site restaurant, an expansive meeting & event space, a rooftop apiary featuring five beehives, and an adjacent urban farm that provides food for the on-site restaurant and tenants of the building.

Awards

* LEED Platinum Certification, established by the

(USGBC) and verified by the

Green Building Certification Institute The Green Business Certification, Inc. (GBCI) is an American organization that provides third-party credentialing and verification for several rating systems relating to the built environment. It was established as the Green Building Certification ...

(GBCI). * National Historic Landmark Status was awarded in 2007 for having met all

guidelines for historic rehabilitation, thereby placing the building on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

. * Chicago Landmark Status designated by the City of Chicago on July 30, 2008. * Bruce Abrams Award given in 2012 by the Chicago Association of Realtors. The highest honor presented at the Good Neighbor Awards, awarded for "quality construction, service to a special population, green benefits, market value and architectural significance". * Merit Award for Commercial Design and Landscape, awarded in 2013 by the

American Society of Landscape Architects The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) is a professional association for landscape architects in the United States. The ASLA's mission is to advance landscape architecture through advocacy, communication, education, and fellowship. ...

(ASLA). * Outstanding For-Profit Neighborhood Real Estate Project Award, won at the 2013 Chicago Neighborhood Development Awards (CNDA). * Preservation Excellence Award: Exterior Rehabilitation and Adaptive Reuse awarded for the rehabilitation and reuse of the former Vassar Swiss Underwear Co. Building into the Green Exchange. Given by the

at the 2014 Chicago Landmark Awards for Preservation Excellence, in recognition of the project's "exceptional commitment to Chicago's historic architecture".

References

{{reflist

External links

Green Exchange homepage
Buildings and structures in Chicago