All Buildings By Greenhouse Gas Intensity
These are the Chicago's benchmarked buildings that reported the highest greenhouse gas intensity i.e. emissions per square foot. Large, efficient, buildings can perform much better than very inefficient small buildings on this metric.
Note: Data From Large Buildings in 2023
Note: This data only includes buildings whose emissions
are reported under the
Chicago Energy Benchmarking Ordinance
. According to the City “As of 2016, this list includes all
commercial, institutional, and residential buildings larger than 50,000
square feet.”
The latest year of data is from 2023, but we update the site regularly when new data is available, and some buildings may have failed to report that year, and only have older data available.
Additionally, note that all tons specified are metric tons.
| Name / Address | Primary Property Type |
GHG Intensity (kg CO2 eq./sqft) |
Total GHG Emissions (tons CO2 eq.) |
|---|---|---|---|
|
8890
⚠️
(Northwestern)
345 E. Superior
| College/University | 15.9 kg/sqft 
Highest 4%
| 5,885 tons
Highest 5%
|
|
Alden Estate of Northmoor
5831 N Northwest Hwy
| Senior Living Community | 15.7 kg/sqft
Highest 4%
| 1,315 tons
Highest 34%
|
|
3400 N Lake Shore Dr
🕰️
⚠️
3400 N Lake Shore Dr
| Multifamily Housing | 15.6 kg/sqft | 914 tons |
|
Illinois Institute of Technology
🕰️
(Illinois Tech)
3300 South Federal Street
| College/University | 15.6 kg/sqft | 45,930 tons |
|
04750 - NEW CITY 14
⚠️
1515 N Clybourn Ave Ste C301
| Movie Theater | 15.5 kg/sqft
Highest 4%
| 794 tons 
Lowest 48%
|
|
The Peninsula Chicago
108 East Superior St.
| Hotel | 15.5 kg/sqft
Highest 4%
| 6,366 tons
Highest 4%
|
|
Webster Place Shopping Center
🕰️
1435 - 1471 W Webster Ave
| Movie Theater | 15.5 kg/sqft | 767 tons |
|
Mansueto Library
(UChicago)
1100 East 57th Street
| Library | 15.4 kg/sqft
Highest 4%
| 989 tons
Highest 44%
|
|
Tremont Chicago Hotel, Magnificent Mile
🕰️
⚠️
100 East Chestnut
| Hotel | 15.4 kg/sqft | 1,471 tons |
|
United Airlines Reservation Center
⚠️
11555 W Touhy Ave
| Office | 15.4 kg/sqft
Highest 4%
| 1,887 tons
Highest 23%
|
|
311 City Services
2111 W. Lexington
| Office | 15.4 kg/sqft
Highest 4%
| 911 tons
Highest 47%
|
|
Kennedy-King College
🚩
(City Colleges)
6301 South Halsted
| College/University | 15.3 kg/sqft
Highest 4%
| 7,613 tons
Highest 3%
|
|
South Shore Cultural Center
📷
🕰️
⚠️
7059 South South Shore Drive
| Other - Recreation | 15.3 kg/sqft | 2,076 tons |
|
211 N Stetson Avenue
211 N Stetson Avenue
| Fitness Center/Health Club/Gym | 15.3 kg/sqft
Highest 4%
| 1,808 tons
Highest 24%
|
|
8602
⚠️
(Northwestern)
710 Lake Shore Dr
| College/University | 15.3 kg/sqft
Highest 4%
| 3,619 tons
Highest 10%
|
Data Source:
Chicago Energy Benchmarking Data