Going For Green In Wicker Park

By Samantha Buchholz

June 3, 2009 – A condominium development in Wicker Park might soon be  Chicago’s first residential property to receive a top green ranking by the U.S. Green Building Council, a nonprofit that promotes green technology in building construction.

According to USGBC,  110 commercial building’s in Illinois meet the energy efficiency criteria and green standards that earn a top LEED certification.  LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.   Seventy-one of those buildings are in Chicago including the Exelon headquarters and the nonprofit Center for Neighborhood Technology.  Both have the group’s premiere LEED ranking of platinum, but so far no residential building in Chicago is platinum certified.

Tom McGrath, a Wicker Park developer,  hopes his near Northwest  Side condo project is the first.  McGrath said Wicker Park is the perfect spot for the groundbreaking construction.

Work has already started on the garage of  McGrath’s two-flat development on N. Honore St. that  he hopes will earn that coveted platinum ranking.

McGrath’s garage will use Smart meters that allow residents to see how much electricity they are using every day, instead of every month.  The project will also have a canopy of solar panels.

McGrath started on the garage portion of his development first, so he could tap the electricity generated by the solar-powered garage for the rest of the construction.

Sixty-five percent of the energy used in McGrath’s condo will be solar generated and should produce between 650 and 700 kilowatts per month, he said.  McGrath said that energy-efficient windows and insulation are among the most important investments for a green builder.

“The world needs to drastically change,” says McGrath. “Only one percent of buildings each year are being constructed green.  We need to change that in this community by doing at least one at a time.”

According to the Center of Neighborhood Technology’s Rachel Scheu, the key features of  green buildings are energy and water efficiency, eco-friendly ventilation and insulation,  plus the use of recycled materials in materials like carpets, wall panels and flooring.

“We look at everything including paints, carpets, ventilation, insulation and  low-flow water systems,” said Scheu.

Ald. Manny Flores (1st) said his Ward is a great location for green building technology because of the residents’ environmental and social values.

Federal grants of up to $25,000 are available to developers of green construction projects, according to city’s Department of Environment.  Developers can use the money for heating and cooling systems such as solar water heaters, solar panels and geothermal electricity.

According to the City of Chicago Sustainable Development Policy financial assistance will be given to multi-unit green buildings including money for building certification costs.