Panel to discuss ‘green’ office buildings at June 7 event

Specialists in sustainability and building management will participate in a panel discussion titled “High-rise Efficiency: What Makes an Office Building Green? [1]” from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, June 7 at the University of Chicago [2]’s Gleacher Center [3], 450 N. Cityfront Plaza Drive.

The event is presented by the Delta Institute [4] and UChicago’s Graham School [5] Leadership in Sustainability Management Certificate Program [6]. Admission is $15 in advance or $20 at the door.

Panelists will discuss how building operators are adapting to market expectations for green certification of modern buildings, coupled with expectations from property owners and managers for highly efficient operations.

The experience at Prudential Plaza, a 2.1-million-square-foot office complex at the north end of Chicago’s Millennium Park, spotlights the factors that have driven the commercial building sector’s transformation to sustainability. The panelists will be John King, Prudential Plaza’s building manager; and Kevin Dick, the Delta Institute’s project manager for certification programs. Moderating the discussion will be Tom Cushing, the Delta Institute’s managing director for strategic partnerships and policy.

King has been responsible for all operational and construction-related activities at the two Prudential office towers for the last five years. He has led initiatives to achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) for Existing Buildings [7] gold status for the office complex in 2010. King also has reduced electricity and natural gas costs by more than $1.5 million annually.

Dick founded and directed the Delta Institute’s Weatherization and Energy Efficiency Program. He has managed more than four million square feet of LEED for Existing Building operations and maintenance certified projects, including the gold certification of Prudential Plaza and silver certification of the NBC Tower. Dick formerly managed efficiency programs for Nicor Gas and Chicagoland Natural Gas.

Cushing builds the Delta Institute’s relationships and advocates for policies that make good economic and environmental sense. He previously worked for the Clean Energy Trust and the Chicago Climate Exchange, and has practiced as a civil attorney in Cook County.

The June 7 event is the second in a series presented jointly by the Delta Institute and the Graham School’s Sustainability Management Program. The series addresses current issues in the green economy and offers lessons in real-world implementation of sustainability from the perspective of ground-level practitioners and leaders in the field.

Register at https://Grahamschool.uchicago.edu/go/SMDLTA [8].