HOK-Designed Clark and Grand Hotel Complex Achieves LEED-NC Silver Certification

By Gabriel Circiog, Associate Editor

HOK recently announced that The Clark and Grand Hotel Complex has achieved Leadership in Energy and Environmental (LEED) Design for New Construction (NC) Silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

Designed by HOK and developed by Friedman Properties, The Clark and Grand Hotel Complex is the first high-rise select service hotel in Chicago made up of three distinct hotel offerings under the same roof.

Located in the River North neighborhood, the complex is on a block bounded by Clark Street, Grand Avenue, Dearborn Street and Illinois Street. In order to offer each hotel its own identity, HOK’s design has provided three separate entrances. The three hotels united under the same roof are: Aloft Chicago City Center – 272 guestrooms; Hyatt Place – 212 guestrooms; and Fairfield Inn & Suites – 180 guestrooms. Each hotel benefits from numerous efficiencies which are being achieved by sharing amenity and basement public spaces. All three properties are managed by White Lodging.

The Clark and Grand Hotel Complex is just the third new construction LEED-certified hotel project in Chicago. The energy performance of the hotels is 38 percent better than a typical hotel in the city. The building has numerous sustainable design features and strategies including the combination of a high-performance envelope with efficient mechanical systems and controls; and efficient heating and cooling systems. The complex achieved a 28 percent water use reduction by using low flow plumbing and also thanks to its landscape design that only uses non-potable water for irrigation.

“As the third new construction LEED-certified hotel project in Chicago, the energy performance of this complex is 38 percent better than a typical hotel in the city,” says Colin Rohlfing, Chicago-based HOK sustainable design leader. ”The success of this unique hospitality project was achieved by combining a high-performance envelope with efficient mechanical systems and controls, which both respond to the increase in perimeter thermal performance.”

Photo Courtesy of: www.hok.com