Updating the ICA GreenRise
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ICA’s Historic Restoration Project will improve the quality of life as well as the comfort, health and well-being for people living and working in the building. This renewal will enhance Sheridan Road store frontage and attract retailers and tenants to Uptown that otherwise might not consider locating here.
This renovation will not only create and retain 250 plus jobs, it will also serve as a vibrant beacon at Lawrence & Sheridan for higher income residents and for the vulnerable and struggling as well. ICA is pursuing this project as an anchoring endeavor to catalyze a comprehensive neighborhood revitalization plan to be developed along with neighbors and community partners. Currently the project is $20 million in projected improvements and still seeking capital and investors. Sources of approached financing have included New Market and Historic Tax Credit investors and senior leveraged lenders. |
Restoration Values Statement
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Restoration of Historic Elements
The restoration project will focus on restoring historic features such as our terra cotta façade, main floor lobby, seven elevator lobbies and common spaces.
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Cutting-edge Environmental Sustainability
ICA rebranded in 2014 as the GreenRise Uptown learning Laboratory with the launch of a 150 kW solar array of 485 photovoltaic panels which now generates 25% of the building’s electricity. The GreenRise was the first building owned by a nonprofit to join the Mayor’s Retrofit Chicago Initiative, in which buildings over 50,000 square feet committed to lowering their energy consumption by 20% in 5 years. In November of 2016, ICA was recognized as a member of the Mayor’s Leadership Circle for Outstanding Energy Efficiency achieving a 23% reduction in 4 years.
485 Solar PanelsBest viewed from the windows of the 6th floor kitchen, the ICA solar array is a key sustainable asset. In September 2014 ICA finished installing the 485 panel array of 150 kilowatt photovoltaic solar panels, making it the second largest rooftop solar installation in Chicago.
To finance the $600,000 project, ICA received a grant from the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation as well as matching funds and donations from our community. |
Lighting RetrofitICA GreenRise was the first building owned by a nonprofit to join RetroFit Chicago’s Commercial Buildings Initiative.
The initiative commitment was to reduce our energy consumption by 20% in 5 years; this goal has already been exceeded by achieving a 28% energy reduction in 4 years. In 2014 ICA GreenRise was recognized as a member of the Retrofit Chicago Mayor’s Leadership Circle for Outstanding Energy Efficiency Achievement. |
Sustainable DesignKey construction strategies include:
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The innovative upgrade of the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems at the ICA GreenRise will go beyond the typical approach to landlord/tenant buildout and develop a whole-building approach to maximizing comfort (thermal, air quality, and lighting) while minimizing the energy needed. These comprehensive optimizations will be implemented through a phased rollout with the 1st and 2nd floors serving as the model for the remaining renovations. Fundamentally the project will upgrade the building envelope to both maximize the thermal resistance (insulation) and minimize the air leakage through the walls, roofs, windows, and gaps in construction. This will be accomplished by employing Passive House principles which will also include reducing thermal bridges, and providing balanced fresh air with energy recovery. Additionally, the first floor will be opened up with an atrium to maximize daylight by providing an opportunity to incorporate natural lighting throughout spaces previously cut off from the outside.
What is Passive House?
Passive House (German: Passivhaus) Passive House is a rigorous, voluntary standard for energy efficiency in a building, which reduces the building's ecological footprint.[1] It results in ultra-low energy buildings that require little energy for space heating or cooling. (source)
Passive House (German: Passivhaus) Passive House is a rigorous, voluntary standard for energy efficiency in a building, which reduces the building's ecological footprint.[1] It results in ultra-low energy buildings that require little energy for space heating or cooling. (source)
The mechanical (heating, ventilating, and air conditioning – HVAC) approach relies on highly-efficient radiant ceiling panels to provide sensible heating and cooling in the spaces, supplemented by a dedicated outdoor air system (DOAS) that provides the minimum ventilation need as well as the dehumidification that handles the latent cooling of the spaces. With this approach, not only does the owner realize a space comfort equal to or greater than any other approach, but it does so with a minimum of energy use and a minimum of space disruption. The air-handling equipment takes up less space than a traditional system by using mostly water-based radiant systems to move heat throughout the building. Each floor’s toilet exhaust will route through an energy-recovery ventilator (ERV) to provide floor-by-floor control.
An additional innovation comes from supplying a single riser each for hot and chilled water to the floors that satisfy both the “high-grade” chilled and hot water (the typical temperatures in conventional construction), as well as the “low grade” water needed for radiant systems. This minimizes the embodied energy in the system, and allows for isolating floors more readily to take advantage of part-load conditions.
Light fixtures will use light-emitting diode (LED) technology, and use vacancy sensor combined with photocell control to maximize the use of daylight in the space and minimize the use of energy for artificial lighting. Lighting designs will employ area/task lighting to minimize background lighting levels and provide user control of higher lighting levels at task surfaces.
An additional innovation comes from supplying a single riser each for hot and chilled water to the floors that satisfy both the “high-grade” chilled and hot water (the typical temperatures in conventional construction), as well as the “low grade” water needed for radiant systems. This minimizes the embodied energy in the system, and allows for isolating floors more readily to take advantage of part-load conditions.
Light fixtures will use light-emitting diode (LED) technology, and use vacancy sensor combined with photocell control to maximize the use of daylight in the space and minimize the use of energy for artificial lighting. Lighting designs will employ area/task lighting to minimize background lighting levels and provide user control of higher lighting levels at task surfaces.
Key Restoration Project Implementors
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