The city’s Environmental Law and Policy Centre (ELPC) is behind the ‘green’ redevelopment of its historic building and hopes to see other organisations across the state of Illinois follow its lead when it comes to eco-friendly office space use.
As much as 75 per cent of all waste resulting from the redevelopment was diverted away from landfill sites, and most of the materials used in the scheme were locally sourced, recycled and recyclable, the ELPC has explained.
Sensors throughout the building have also been installed to ensure that energy is used only where and when required, and lighting systems are said to use only 50 per cent of the power that more traditional systems would.
“We’ve created a highly-efficient workspace that’s healthy for our staff and makes economic sense,” said Howard Learner, the ELPC’s executive director.
“We’ve also created an example that can push the market toward a higher standard for green office design,” he added.
Meanwhile, the UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) continues to encourage sustainable energy use by office space providers, operators and landlords, including the British Land Company and the Canary Wharf Group, which were two of the organisation’s founding members.