At a glance
120 South Riverside Plaza is a 787,045-square-foot office building in Chicago, Illinois, built in 1966. In its 2023 Chicago benchmarking disclosure it reported an ENERGY STAR score of 95 out of 100 (grade A), a site energy-use intensity of 38.5 kBtu/ft² and 2,772 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions. That score is higher than 96% of the 320 scored office buildings in Chicago.
Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance · reporting year 2023
Benchmarking record
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ENERGY STAR score | 95 (band A) |
| Site EUI | 38.5 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | 70.2 kBtu/ft² |
| GHG emissions | 2,772 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | 3.5 kgCO₂e/ft² |
| Electricity | 3,923,812 kWh |
| Natural gas | 169,101 therms |
| Gross floor area | 787,045 sq ft |
| Source record | chicago:101839:2023 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023latest | 95 | +1 | 38.5 kBtu/ft² | 2,772 tCO₂e |
| 2022 | 94 | ±0 | 43.8 kBtu/ft² | 2,853 tCO₂e |
| 2021 | 94 | +3 | 41.4 kBtu/ft² | 3,023 tCO₂e |
| 2020 | 91 | +1 | 46.8 kBtu/ft² | 4,075 tCO₂e |
| 2019 | 90 | 59.9 kBtu/ft² | — | |
| 2018 | — | 60.4 kBtu/ft² | 5,682 tCO₂e | |
| 2017 | 94 | -2 | 60.3 kBtu/ft² | 6,468 tCO₂e |
| 2016 | 96 | +1 | 56.0 kBtu/ft² | 6,278 tCO₂e |
| 2015 | 95 | +1 | 61.5 kBtu/ft² | 6,862 tCO₂e |
| 2014 | 94 | 67.0 kBtu/ft² | 7,447 tCO₂e |
Compliance context
Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance
Covered buildings that fail to benchmark and report face fines of up to $100 plus $25 per day of violation under the ordinance.
Ownership
No owning organisation shown. Names of private individuals in the disclosure are not published here.
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Location
- Address
- 120 South Riverside Plaza
- City
- Chicago
- State
- Illinois
- ZIP
- 60606
- Coordinates
- 41.87432, -87.66514
Within ~1 km
Nearby benchmarked buildings
- Imperial Towersscore 73
Multifamily Housing · 1,126,000 sq ft
- One South Dearbornscore 81
Office · 942,732 sq ft
- Misericordia Homescore —
Mixed Use Property · 717,710 sq ft
- Whitney Young -CPSscore 3
K-12 School · 430,443 sq ft
- Onni Grand LPscore 42
Multifamily Housing · 420,641 sq ft
- 211 E. Chicago Ave.score 77
Office · 394,230 sq ft
See also: most efficient in Chicago · biggest emitters
How does 120 South Riverside Plaza compare with other office buildings in Chicago?
The latest disclosures cover 387 office buildings in Chicago, out of 3,852 buildings citywide. 120 South Riverside Plaza's ENERGY STAR score of 95 compares with an average of 69 across the 320 that report a score; it scores higher than 96% of them and lower than 3%. Its site EUI of 38.5 kBtu/ft² is about half of the average of 70.4 kBtu/ft² — it uses less energy per square foot than the typical building in that group. Its emissions intensity of 3.5 kgCO₂e/ft² is about half of the group average of 7.5 kgCO₂e/ft².
At 787,045 sq ft, it is about 61% above the average floor area of 488,124 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 1966, 10 years later than the group's average year built (1957). Across all 24 jurisdictions BuildingCensus covers, the 15,264 office buildings average an ENERGY STAR score of 73 and a site EUI of 59.3 kBtu/ft².
How has 120 South Riverside Plaza's energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 10 Chicago disclosures for 120 South Riverside Plaza, covering report years 2014–2023. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 94 in 2014 to 95 in 2023 (+1 points); its best year on file was 2016, at 96. Site EUI moved from 67.0 kBtu/ft² (2014) to 38.5 kBtu/ft² (2023), a 43% decrease. Reported emissions went from 7,447 tCO₂e to 2,772 tCO₂e over the same span (down 63%).
What does an ENERGY STAR score of 95 mean?
ENERGY STAR scores run from 1 to 100 and are computed by the EPA's Portfolio Manager as a percentile against similar buildings nationwide, adjusted for climate, size and use: a score of 95 means the building performs better than about 95% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 95 falls in band A — high performer (85–100). Scores of 75 or higher meet the threshold for ENERGY STAR certification; certification itself is a separate, verified application that the disclosure does not record. In Chicago, 35% of scored buildings are at 75 or above.
Site energy-use intensity (EUI) is the energy a building uses on site in a year divided by its floor area, in thousand Btu per square foot — lower is more efficient. 120 South Riverside Plaza's 38.5 kBtu/ft² across 787,045 sq ft works out to about 30.3 billion Btu (8,880 MWh-equivalent) in 2023. Its source EUI of 70.2 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 3,923,812 kWh of electricity and 169,101 therms of natural gas for the year.
Which law requires 120 South Riverside Plaza to report its energy use?
120 South Riverside Plaza reports under the Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance, the legal basis of the Chicago Energy Benchmarking program, which publishes each covered building's annual benchmarking results. The record shown here is the report-year 2023 disclosure (source record chicago:101839:2023). Covered buildings that fail to benchmark and report face fines of up to $100 plus $25 per day of violation under the ordinance.
More office buildings in Chicago
- 10 South Riverside Plaza· 786,938 sq ft · score 88 (A)
- 191 North Wacker· 778,325 sq ft · score 81 (B)
- Two North LaSalle· 776,691 sq ft · score 81 (B)
- Triangle Plaza· 768,978 sq ft · score 91 (A)
- 120 South LaSalle Street Building· 760,892 sq ft · score 88 (A)
- 515 North State· 757,990 sq ft · score 83 (B)
- Office buildings in Chicago· 387 benchmarked
- All Chicago benchmarked buildings· Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance
- Most efficient large buildings in Chicago
- Least efficient large buildings in Chicago
- Biggest emitters in Chicago
Frequently asked questions
What is 120 South Riverside Plaza's energy grade?
120 South Riverside Plaza scores 95 out of 100 on ENERGY STAR — band A, high performer (85–100) — in its 2023 Chicago disclosure. Scores are national percentiles against similar buildings; 75+ qualifies for ENERGY STAR certification.
How much energy does 120 South Riverside Plaza use?
Its 2023 site energy-use intensity was 38.5 kBtu/ft² (70.2 kBtu/ft² source) across 787,045 sq ft, including 3,923,812 kWh of electricity and 169,101 therms of natural gas.
What are 120 South Riverside Plaza's carbon emissions?
120 South Riverside Plaza reported 2,772 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions (3.5 kgCO₂e/ft²) for 2023.
Where is 120 South Riverside Plaza?
120 South Riverside Plaza is in Chicago, Illinois 60606. Its coordinates are 41.87432, -87.66514 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Chicago Energy Benchmarking file.
How big is 120 South Riverside Plaza and when was it built?
120 South Riverside Plaza has 787,045 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2023 disclosure. The disclosure lists 1966 as its year built. It is classed as office.
Is 120 South Riverside Plaza covered by the Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance?
Yes — it appears in the 2023 Chicago Energy Benchmarking disclosure, which lists the buildings reporting under the Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance.
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About this data
Source: Chicago Energy Benchmarking (Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance), as published October 2, 2026. See the methodology for how records are matched, cleaned and scored.
Cite as: BuildingCensus, “120 South Riverside Plaza, Chicago, Illinois — 2023 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/chicago/120-south-riverside-plaza-2cf8952b (data as of October 2, 2026).