Sears Tower Retrofit to Reduce Energy Use
The tallest building in the U.S. is addressing its environmental footprint with a $350 million renovation project.
The Sears Tower will undergo a makeover. However, it is unknown what will be done with construction debris. Photo: Tucsongrowup.com
Soon to be renamed the Willis Tower, Chicago’s Sears Tower represents 4.5 million square feet of office and retail space.
Officials believe the installation of wind turbines, solar panels/hot water heaters and energy-efficient elevators and windows can reduce energy use by 80 percent over five years, a savings of 52 million kWh annually.
The Sears Tower is unique among tall buildings in that it offers a series of roofs at different heights as part of its 110 stories.
Each of these roofs will be outfitted with devices to capture renewable energy, so the building will be able to generate much of its own electricity. The roofs will also limit storm water runoff and improve insulation.
The 16,000 single-pane windows will be replaced with energy-efficient models, which is expected to provide 50 percent of heating energy.
Elevators will be modernized for the first time since the 1970s, and the retrofit will also address internal lighting.
Earlier this year, the Empire State Building announced a similar eco-friendly retrofit that will be ready in 2013. Part of this plan was to reuse materials such as windows that would be replaced, but the Sears Tower project has not released any information on what will happen to its construction debris.
