Five years from now there will be a greener landscape for Chicago’s skyline, the largest building in the western hemisphere is getting a 350 million dollar renovation that will include solar panels, wind turbines, new windows and rooftop gardens, and that is just on the outside. On the inside, updated elevators, (all 104 of them) a light control system and upgraded restrooms. The tower is aiming for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design or LEED. The project will reduce electricity consumption by 80% and save 24 million gallons of water per year. It will also create about 3,600 jobs (some of which will be green jobs) and will include an area for the public to come in and learn about all the green initiatives that Willis is doing in the building.
The old tower is also getting a new name; The Sears Tower will now be called Willis Tower after its new tenants Willis HRH. This is not the first “Greenscaper” building for the British insurance firm; in 2007 Willis won the New City Architecture Award for its London skyscraper, which is also considered a “Greenscaper”.
Willis HRH is setting the architectural bar a little higher; they are a model for future firms to follow. If companies like Willis show that it can be done, then maybe that will start a trend that can only be better for the business of the present and the planet of the future.
Willis HRH
Willis is recognized as a leading global insurance broker, handling risk management and reinsurance across a wide range of service areas and industries.
- Organization Type: Profit
- Website: http://www.willis.com/
- Founder(s): Henry Willis
- Founded: 1897
- Location:London, UK
- See complete company list here
Sources: willis.com; guardian.co.uk, Getty Images
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