BentlyForbes’ Oyster

CHICAGO-Despite increased costs and the economic downturn, the US Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Efficient Design (LEED) program has become so widespread that, instead of garnering attention-grabbing praise, a new construction project is expected to have sustainable design elements,  However, the expansion of the program in 2005 included the possibility of an existing property to achieve sustainability, and landlord have struggled to gain Silver, Gold and Platinum status as they deal with systems that weren’t designed to save on energy.

That didn’t stop BentleyForbes, the owner of the 2.4-million-square-foot Prudential Plaza complex in the downtown here, from a two-year investment to achieve the Gold certification. With the help of the Delta Group, the landlord was able to gain an annual savings of $1 million on energy costs, with almost an almost 30% reduction of electricity use, as well as tenant-cooperated sustainable initiatives.