A massive plan to drastically cut the carbon emissions in downtown Chicago has scooped a prestigious award from Architect Magazine.
The fourth Annual R&D Award was given to the Chicago Central Area Decarbonization Plan by well-known Chicago-based Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, which presented a large-scale and hugely ambitious plant to retrofit existing buildings to achieve a 25% cut in emissions below the 1990 level.
The ‘Plan’ involves eight key strategies, starting with one called Buildings, “which investigates how existing structures can be upgraded to improve energy efficiency, increase the value of aging building stock and tap into the potential to transfer excess energy loads back to the grid, all while offsetting the need for new construction.
Other strategies include Urban Matrix, which envisions increasing the residential density of the Loop by enhancing amenities, Smart Infrastructure which tackles how energy can be generated, stored, distributed and shared and Mobility, which assesses transit and connectivity.
Some of the key changes presented include:
Chicago is an architectural marvel and home to many of the most influential architects.
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