AMA Plaza
330 North Wabash
Chicago, IL 60611
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AMA Plaza is a 1.5-million-square-foot, 52-story, LEED certified, multi-tenant office building and five-star hotel building located along the banks of the Chicago River. It is a Chicago Landmark and on the National Register of Historic Places as it is the last and largest American building of the renowned architect Mies van der Rohe. In 2015, management completed a three-year, $70 million redevelopment, which included demolition of existing spaces, HVAC and mechanical system upgrades, elevator modernization, a toilet room redevelopment, curtain wall glazing unit replacements, a utility upgrade for submetering, new roofing which included a new membrane, and installation of a vegetated roof with wind and rain sensors. The Langham Chicago hotel opened in July of 2013 and occupies 25% of the total building. Between 2012 and 2015, the office building increased its tenant occupancy by 60% and is now the international headquarters of the American Medical Association.
Mechanical Retrofit & Hydronics
A major mechanical retrofit of the building began in 2012 and was completed in 2015. The goal of this project was to replace an aging and inefficient system with more energy-efficient technology. The challenge of the project was the need to integrate the new variable air volume system on 26 redeveloped floors with a constant volume system on eight occupied, legacy floors sharing the same fan system. Collaboration between owners of the building, engineers, contractors, suppliers, and tenants created a state-of-the-art system providing controllable components for occupant comfort and energy efficiency.
The following improvements were made to accomplish the goals and overcome the challenges:
Boiler Installation
A new gas-fired boiler system with a new variable speed pumping distribution system was installed to replace the former electric steam boiler system. The modular system gives the building fuel source flexibility and greater capability to more efficiently respond to dynamic system loads. New variable speed pumps serving tenant fan powered box reheat coils were also provided. The new boiler system yields an approximate 50% savings over the old electric steam heat boiler system.
Lighting Retrofits
New LED fixtures were installed in the public parking garage to replace highly inefficient, high-density lighting which did not provide the spread and intensity of light needed for safety. A total of 640 lamps were installed. This fixture was selected in order to create the highest lighting levels at the most efficient pricing. This retrofit created 638,000 annual kWh savings.
Additionally, the Executive Parking garage was outfitted with new LED lighting and motion sensor circuitry to improve illumination levels, color rendition levels, and energy efficiency. Thirty-six two-bulb fixtures using 32 watts each, which were on 24/7, were replaced with 18 LED fixtures with occupant sensors using 8 watts each. The annual energy savings is more than 20,000 kWh and more than $1,600. Furthermore, the mercury use in the garage is reduced to zero.
Smart Technology Installations
AMA Plaza replaced the existing main utility meters with Smart Meters. This initiative utilizes these advanced meters to allow real time access of energy usage data. This system provides ancillary operational and energy efficiency advantages that come with immediate access to real time energy usage data for the entire building, including the hotel. This information allows management to reduce the building's use of electricity in response to power grid needs as well as economic signs from a competitive wholesale market. The information enables building operators to immediately analyze and evaluate energy usage on a second-by-second basis with the goal of operating the building at a high efficiency rate. This information will be used to assist other office buildings in Chicago to utilize energy savings and to help Chicago reach its goal of a 30 percent energy reduction by the end of 2018. The business models we are working with have shown that a building of this size will expect to be in a position to reduce costs by $200,000 per year by managing operations more efficiently, controlling peak demand on energy bills, and participating in demand reduction and curtailment activities. The low installation cost of this project had an immediate impact.
The facility's Eco-Screen is installed in the engineering control room and utilizes the latest technology to observe real-time data in the individual equipment operations (pumps, meters, fans, etc.) of HVAC systems and controls. Real-time graphs and gauges provide additional tools to help manage energy through benchmarking and comparisons from previous periods. This tool also provides an opportunity for us to communicate with tenants about ongoing conservation efforts in an attractive and readable platform.
Other ongoing conservation activities include:
Communications:
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Testimonial:
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Please note: Narrative information in this profile has been provided by 330 N Wabash Avenue, LLC or a representative of this facility. Other building information was verified and submitted to EPA at the time of application. Building energy performance, operating characteristics, and ownership/management may be subject to change over time.
Building Owner:*
330 N Wabash Avenue, LLC
Property Manager:*
Riverview Realty
Year(s) Labeled (Rating):
2009 (75)
2010 (89)
2011 (78)
2013 (81)
2014 (75)
2015 (76)
2016 (83)
Facility Type: Office
Total Floorspace: 1930764 sf
Year Constructed: 1971
Contract Type: None
Technologies Used:
| Stage 1-Recommissioning |
| Stage 2-Lighting |
| Stage 3-Load Reductions |
| Stage 4-Fan Systems |
| Stage 5-Heating and Cooling Plant |
| Other Technologies/Strategies |