The Sears Tower: Greening Up to Bring Innovations, Energy Savings, and Jobs

Sears is also considering the use of renewable energies sources such as wind and solar. Tests will be done in these areas to evaluate the output of these efficiencies with relation to the building’s needs. Rendering courtesy of Sears Tower, Chicago.

CHICAGO- Famously known as the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere, the Sears Tower is now also aiming to be one of the greenest buildings in the world with its upcoming retrofits and building projects at an estimated cost of $350 million.

Sears also boast that as a whole its sustainability plans will also be economic drivers for the West Loop, potentially creating over 3,600 new jobs.

“Our goal in the Sears Tower greening project is to create a holistic approach that integrates high performance building technologies and design strategies for maximum energy efficiencies.

Rendering courtesy of Sears Tower.

“In the process, we hope to set a new benchmark for how high-rise buildings throughout the world can limit their impact on the environment,” said Adrian Smith, a partner with Adrian Smith + Gordan Gill Architecture, a Chicago-based architectural design firm that will be overseeing the project.

Among Sears management’s biggest initiatives will be attempting to reduce the base building electricity use by up to 80 percent.

Much of the planning for the renovations is still in the very early planning stages, but in some areas such as the mechanical systems, there is a clear indication of what will be done. Upgrades to this system are expected to include new gas boilers that will utilize fuel cell technologies capable of generating electricity, heating, and cooling at potentially up to “90 percent efficiency,” according to Sears.

Lighting upgrades are expected to include daylight harvesting, which is a lighting control system that automatically dims lights in spaces based on the amount of sunlight entering through the windows. Sears estimates that lighting energy consumption can be reduced by up to 40 percent. with these and other upgrades.

Sears is also considering the use of renewable energies sources such as wind and solar. Tests will be done in these areas to evaluate the output of these efficiencies with relation to the building’s needs.

Condensation recovery systems are going to be looked at as part of the Tower’s water conservation initiatives, as well as water efficient landscaping.

Beyond work on the tower, Sears is also proposing a new, privately funded hotel for the site at the Jackson Boulevard and Wacker Drive. The hotel is expected to be designed to meet the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Gold rating, developed by the United States Green Building Council.

Sears expects the majority of the energy savings from its projects to be realized in approximately five years.