Chief Engineer Magazine Highlights Two GBA Projects

GBA News | Presentations and Publications

The Realtor Building and Chicago Marriott Downtown were the focus of recent case study articles.

Chief Engineer, the official publication of the Chief Engineers Association of Chicagoland, published “Moving On: Cosmetic and Infrastructure Changes at the Realtor Building” in its November 2018 issue.

The case study focused on a $45 million renovation at the iconic, 265,000-square-foot skyscraper at 430 N. Michigan Ave., home of the National Association of Realtors. Hired by developer ONE Development (part of GNP Realty Partners), G/BA provided engineering design to help create a much more reliable and energy-efficient infrastructure. The work of controls expert Interactive Building Solutions was also highlighted.

In the December 2018 issue, the feature “ComEd Incentives Help Chicago Marriott Complete Chiller Upgrade” details an infrastructure project G/BA designed for the Chicago Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile, a 970,000-square-foot Loop hotel. Cooling tower and chiller upgrades will save the client about $103,000 a year in electricity costs (representing about 1.3 million kWh). The project cost nearly $3.8 million, but the owner’s choices of high-efficiency equipment netted a ComEd Energy Efficiency Incentive Program incentive of $205,200. Payback after incentives will be about six years.

Contact G/BA with questions about efficient facility infrastructure. We can provide Infrastructure Report Cards and other tools to help facility owners and managers better understand their systems’ current condition and capabilities, and can recommend improvements in line with goals. Often, incentives from electrical and natural gas utilities are available to reduce the cost of studies and/or improvements.

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