Top 50 Buildings by Greenhouse Gas Emissions
These buildings are the biggest emitters of greenhouse gases in Chicago, both directly (like by burning natural gas on site for heating) and indirectly (by using electricity that is still produced with some fossil fuels).
Many of these buildings are very large, which is a big part of why they use so much energy and have such high emissions. Several of these buildings, however, are not that large, but are instead incredibly inefficient - they use a lot of energy to heat and cool relatively small buildings.
Curious to see buildings sorted by their emissions intensity instead? Check out the homepage!
Note: Data only includes large Chicago buildings from 2020
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.” This dataset is also then filtered to only buildings with
reported emissions > 1,000 metric tons CO2 equivalent.
This data is also from 2020, but when new benchmark data is available, we'll update the site.
| Property Name / address | Primary Property Type |
Greenhouse Gas Intensity (kg CO2 eq./sqft) |
Total Greenhouse Emissions (metric tons CO2 eq.) |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Digital Lakeside
🚨
📷
350 E Cermak
| Data Center | 142.1 kg/sqft  #2 Highest
| 173,706 tons #1 Highest
|
|
5841 S. Maryland Ave MC0985
🚨
(UChicago)
5841 S. Maryland Ave MC0985
| Hospital (General Medical & Surgical) | 26.9 kg/sqft
Highest 4%
| 146,536 tons #2 Highest
|
|
Rush University Medical Center
🚨
1653 W Congress Pkwy
| Hospital (General Medical & Surgical) | 26.4 kg/sqft
Highest 4%
| 102,661 tons #3 Highest
|
|
Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority
🚨
📷
301 Cermak Rd
| Convention Center | 8.3 kg/sqft
Highest 42%
| 76,935 tons #4 Highest
|
|
Cook County Department of Corrections Campus
🚨
2700 S California Ave
| Prison/Incarceration | 11.1 kg/sqft
Highest 24%
| 50,507 tons #5 Highest
|
|
NMH Feinberg Pavilion and Galter Pavilion
🚨
251 E Huron St
| Hospital (General Medical & Surgical) | 20.6 kg/sqft
Highest 8%
| 45,388 tons #6 Highest
|
|
Stroger Hospital Campus
🚨
1901 W Harrison St
| Hospital (General Medical & Surgical) | 28.3 kg/sqft #42 Highest
| 45,230 tons #7 Highest
|
|
Willis Tower
🚨
📷
233 S Wacker Dr
| Office | 8.8 kg/sqft
Highest 37%
| 43,675 tons #8 Highest
|
|
600 W Chicago
🚨
600 W Chicago
| Office | 13.8 kg/sqft
Highest 15%
| 29,599 tons #9 Highest
|
|
Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago
🚨
225 E Chicago Ave
| Hospital (General Medical & Surgical) | 20.9 kg/sqft
Highest 8%
| 26,971 tons #10 Highest
|
|
300 E Randolph
🚨
300 E Randolph
| Office | 11.1 kg/sqft
Highest 24%
| 24,655 tons #11 Highest
|
|
Keating Hall
🚨
📷
(Illinois Tech)
3040 S Wabash Avenue
| College/University | 461.6 kg/sqft #1 Highest
| 24,538 tons #12 Highest
|
|
Presence Resurrection Medical Center
🚨
7435 W Talcott Ave
| Hospital (General Medical & Surgical) | 20.9 kg/sqft
Highest 8%
| 22,882 tons #13 Highest
|
|
The John Hancock Center
🚩
📷
875 N Michigan Ave
| Mixed Use Property | 9.7 kg/sqft
Highest 31%
| 22,228 tons #14 Highest
|
|
Water Tower Place
🚩
845 N Michigan Ave
| Mixed Use Property | 8.6 kg/sqft
Highest 39%
| 22,117 tons #15 Highest
|
|
The Franklin
🚩
227 W Monroe
| Office | 7.4 kg/sqft 
Lowest 45%
| 22,015 tons #16 Highest
|
|
Merchandise Mart
🚩
📷
222 Merchandise Mart Plz
| Office | 5.1 kg/sqft
Lowest 9%
| 20,933 tons #17 Highest
|
|
Prudential Plaza
🚩
130 E Randolph St
| Office | 7.6 kg/sqft
Lowest 48%
| 20,898 tons #18 Highest
|
|
The Art Institute of Chicago
🚨
📷
111 S Michigan Ave
| Museum | 20.7 kg/sqft
Highest 8%
| 20,891 tons #19 Highest
|
|
NMH Prentice Womens Hospital
🚩
250 E Superior St
| Hospital (General Medical & Surgical) | 22.0 kg/sqft
Highest 7%
| 20,820 tons #20 Highest
|
|
900 North Michigan
🚩
900 North Michigan
| Mixed Use Property | 9.7 kg/sqft
Highest 31%
| 20,806 tons #21 Highest
|
|
Aon Center
🚩
200 E Randolph St
| Office | 6.5 kg/sqft
Lowest 29%
| 20,741 tons #22 Highest
|
|
10/30 South Wacker
🚩
10 S Wacker Dr
| Office | 7.1 kg/sqft
Lowest 40%
| 20,376 tons #23 Highest
|
|
352 360 W WELLINGTON AVE
🚨
📷
352 360 W WELLINGTON AVE
| Multifamily Housing | 136.5 kg/sqft #3 Highest
| 19,870 tons #24 Highest
|
|
River North Point
🚩
350 N Orleans St
| Office | 10.2 kg/sqft
Highest 28%
| 19,305 tons #25 Highest
|
|
Ford City Mall
🚩
7601 S Cicero Ave
| Enclosed Mall | 22.2 kg/sqft
Highest 7%
| 19,161 tons #26 Highest
|
|
Digital Printer's Row
🚨
📷
600 S Federal St
| Data Center | 105.8 kg/sqft #5 Highest
| 18,979 tons #27 Highest
|
|
Swedish Covenant Hospital Campus
🚩
5145 N California Ave
| Mixed Use Property | 23.4 kg/sqft
Highest 6%
| 18,719 tons #28 Highest
|
|
IL0000FC - Chicago Federal Ctr
🚩
219 S Dearborn
| Mixed Use Property | 5.8 kg/sqft
Lowest 16%
| 18,413 tons #29 Highest
|
|
AMA Plaza
🚩
330 N Wabash Av
| Office | 9.8 kg/sqft
Highest 30%
| 18,347 tons #30 Highest
|
|
CoreSite
🚨
📷
427 S LaSalle St
| Data Center | 114.3 kg/sqft #4 Highest
| 18,282 tons #31 Highest
|
|
Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center
🚩
836 W Wellington Ave
| Hospital (General Medical & Surgical) | 13.5 kg/sqft
Highest 16%
| 17,649 tons #32 Highest
|
|
Trump International Hotel & Tower Chicago
🚩
401 N Wabash Ave
| Mixed Use Property | 8.3 kg/sqft
Highest 42%
| 17,566 tons #33 Highest
|
|
Gordon Center for Integrative Science (GCIS)
🚩
📷
(UChicago)
929 E 57th St
| Laboratory | 35.9 kg/sqft #16 Highest
| 17,199 tons #34 Highest
|
|
540 W Madison Ave
🚩
540 W Madison
| Financial Office | 13.4 kg/sqft
Highest 16%
| 16,431 tons #35 Highest
|
|
Michigan Plaza
🚩
205 N Michigan Ave
| Office | 7.7 kg/sqft
Lowest 50%
| 15,937 tons #36 Highest
|
|
55 E Monroe
🚩
55 E Monroe St
| Office | 9.3 kg/sqft
Highest 34%
| 15,558 tons #37 Highest
|
|
River East Center Campus
🚩
322 E Illinois St
| Mixed Use Property | 10.2 kg/sqft
Highest 28%
| 15,479 tons #38 Highest
|
|
Presence SMEMC St Mary Campus
🚩
2233 W Division St
| Hospital (General Medical & Surgical) | 22.1 kg/sqft
Highest 7%
| 15,415 tons #39 Highest
|
|
500 W Monroe
🚩
500 W Monroe
| Office | 13.3 kg/sqft
Highest 16%
| 15,317 tons #40 Highest
|
|
S1-Sinai
🚩
1525 S CALIFORNIA AVE
| Hospital (General Medical & Surgical) | 15.0 kg/sqft
Highest 14%
| 15,145 tons #41 Highest
|
|
Hyatt Center
🚩
71 S Wacker Dr
| Office | 8.6 kg/sqft
Highest 39%
| 14,570 tons #42 Highest
|
|
Citigroup Center
🚩
500 W Madison St
| Office | 7.8 kg/sqft
Highest 49%
| 14,397 tons #43 Highest
|
|
James R Thompson Center
🚩
100 W Randolph St
| Office | 12.0 kg/sqft
Highest 20%
| 14,265 tons #44 Highest
|
|
Harris Bank Building
🚩
115 S LaSalle St
| Office | 9.3 kg/sqft
Highest 34%
| 14,249 tons #45 Highest
|
|
Shirley Ryan AbilityLab
🚩
355 E ERIE ST
| Hospital (General Medical & Surgical) | 16.2 kg/sqft
Highest 12%
| 14,188 tons #46 Highest
|
|
Presidential Towers
🚩
555 W Madison St
| Multifamily Housing | 5.0 kg/sqft
Lowest 8%
| 13,672 tons #47 Highest
|
|
Hilton Chicago
🚩
720 S Michigan Ave
| Hotel | 6.6 kg/sqft
Lowest 31%
| 13,461 tons #48 Highest
|
|
Hyatt Regency Chicago
🚩
151 E Wacker Dr
| Hotel | 6.5 kg/sqft
Lowest 29%
| 13,219 tons #49 Highest
|
|
William Eckhardt Research Center
🚩
📷
(UChicago)
5640 S ELLIS AVE
| Laboratory | 46.2 kg/sqft #11 Highest
| 13,137 tons #50 Highest
|
Data Source:
Chicago Energy Benchmarking Data