INDUSTRY NEWS

THE BUILDING GROUP MOVES TO 1221 NORTH LASALLE HELPS CLIENTS GO GREEN – AND SAVE GREEN

The Building Group, which manages over one billion dollars in real estate along Chicago’s Lakefront, has moved to 1221 North LaSalle Street. Now more centrally located to serve its portfolio of luxury condominium, cooperative, rental and mixed-use properties, The Building Group’s new home is also a testing ground for green techniques. The redesign and repurposing of the building – which includes apartments, commercial and retail space – signals the firm’s continued pursuit of earth-friendly tactics that save money for clients.

President Jim Stoller explains that The Building Group’s commitment to maximizing the value of its clients’ real estate complements the firm’s commitment to sustainability. “The new facility is our ‘innovation laboratory’ where we explore ways to reduce the overall carbon footprint as well as the operating costs of a building.”

Stoller purchased the LaSalle Street building -- once home to Andy Frain Services and later LifeSource’s downtown office -- and redesigned its red-brick Colonial façade to reflect The Building Group’s ongoing quest for greater environmental efficiencies. The result is a sleek white and green exterior, accented by drought- and salt-resistant native landscaping.

The building’s interior has all LED lighting and VOV-free paints, plus other green features such as an indoor bike rack and uses eco-friendly cleaning supplies. Lowering our environmental impact, however, takes many forms and “doesn’t necessarily mean installing windmills,” says Stoller. “It means being smart about resources.” For example, rather than a single temperature for an entire office, there are multiple zones for heating and cooling, resulting in more targeted control. And instead of traditional carpeting, carpet tiles are used which can be replaced individually if stained or damaged.

The gleaming white file cabinets that frame The Building Group’s new office on the building’s second floor central common area create private workspaces represent another simple tactic – refurbishing existing furniture.

Beyond these physical elements, The Building Group’s new offices makes better use of its most valuable resource: staff. Understanding that people work differently at different tasks and at different times, the design includes some private offices with doors, open- plan work spaces, shared office space and conference rooms.

Another new efficiency is the security camera system that allows staff to monitor the property remotely from their smartphones. Residents of the rental apartments and commercial space renters can see who is pressing their buzzer and let them in – or keep them out – remotely.

Ultimately, the systems and techniques that are successful at 1221 N. LaSalle are added to The Building Group’s toolbox of client services. Cost- saving green methods have been used for years throughout The Building Group’s real estate portfolio, concentrated primarily in the Streeterville and Gold Coast neighborhoods.

A licensed architect and MBA (Northwestern), Stoller founded The Building Group, Inc., over 20 years ago. Its team of over forty in-house experts provide its many clients with rigorous and secure financial controls, extensive educational resources, superior communication and ethical and transparent operating procedures.

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