At a glance
121 West Wacker Drive AKA 221 N La Salle Street is a 417,599-square-foot office building in Chicago, Illinois, built in 1930. In its 2023 Chicago benchmarking disclosure it reported an ENERGY STAR score of 72 out of 100 (grade B), a site energy-use intensity of 76.3 kBtu/ft² and 2,808 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions. That score is higher than 43% of the 320 scored office buildings in Chicago.
Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance · reporting year 2023
Benchmarking record
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ENERGY STAR score | 72 (band B) |
| Site EUI | 76.3 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | 134.0 kBtu/ft² |
| GHG emissions | 2,808 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | 6.7 kgCO₂e/ft² |
| Electricity | 3,763,312 kWh |
| Natural gas | 190,360 therms |
| Gross floor area | 417,599 sq ft |
| Source record | chicago:103639:2023 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023latest | 72 | ±0 | 76.3 kBtu/ft² | 2,808 tCO₂e |
| 2022 | 72 | +43 | 87.4 kBtu/ft² | 2,983 tCO₂e |
| 2021 | 29 | -48 | 179.2 kBtu/ft² | 6,070 tCO₂e |
| 2020 | 77 | -3 | 65.0 kBtu/ft² | 3,178 tCO₂e |
| 2019 | 80 | 72.4 kBtu/ft² | 3,804 tCO₂e | |
| 2018 | — | — | — | |
| 2017 | 92 | +9 | 67.7 kBtu/ft² | 4,040 tCO₂e |
| 2016 | 83 | ±0 | 95.3 kBtu/ft² | 4,907 tCO₂e |
| 2015 | 83 | +2 | 94.7 kBtu/ft² | 5,222 tCO₂e |
| 2014 | 81 | 107.0 kBtu/ft² | 5,562 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
- 121 West Wacker Drive
- City
- Chicago
- State
- Illinois
- ZIP
- 60601
- Coordinates
- 41.79675, -87.72341
Within ~1 km
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See also: most efficient in Chicago · biggest emitters
How does 121 West Wacker Drive AKA 221 N La Salle Street compare with other office buildings in Chicago?
The latest disclosures cover 387 office buildings in Chicago, out of 3,852 buildings citywide. 121 West Wacker Drive AKA 221 N La Salle Street's ENERGY STAR score of 72 compares with an average of 69 across the 320 that report a score; it scores higher than 43% of them and lower than 54%. Its site EUI of 76.3 kBtu/ft² is roughly in line with the average of 70.4 kBtu/ft². Its emissions intensity of 6.7 kgCO₂e/ft² is about 11% below the group average of 7.5 kgCO₂e/ft².
At 417,599 sq ft, it is about 14% below the average floor area of 488,124 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 1930, 26 years earlier 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 121 West Wacker Drive AKA 221 N La Salle Street's energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 10 Chicago disclosures for 121 West Wacker Drive AKA 221 N La Salle Street, covering report years 2014–2023. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 81 in 2014 to 72 in 2023 (-9 points); its best year on file was 2017, at 92. Site EUI moved from 107.0 kBtu/ft² (2014) to 76.3 kBtu/ft² (2023), a 29% decrease. Reported emissions went from 5,562 tCO₂e to 2,808 tCO₂e over the same span (down 50%).
What does an ENERGY STAR score of 72 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 72 means the building performs better than about 72% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 72 falls in band B — above median (70–84). It sits 3 points below 75, the threshold for ENERGY STAR certification. 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. 121 West Wacker Drive AKA 221 N La Salle Street's 76.3 kBtu/ft² across 417,599 sq ft works out to about 31.9 billion Btu (9,338 MWh-equivalent) in 2023. Its source EUI of 134.0 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 3,763,312 kWh of electricity and 190,360 therms of natural gas for the year.
Which law requires 121 West Wacker Drive AKA 221 N La Salle Street to report its energy use?
121 West Wacker Drive AKA 221 N La Salle Street 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:103639:2023). 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
- Presidents Plaza 1· 417,395 sq ft · score 93 (A)
- 224 South Michigan Avenue· 412,504 sq ft · score 87 (A)
- 33 North LaSalle Street· 411,612 sq ft · score 56 (C)
- City Hall, 121 N. La Salle St.· 411,500 sq ft · score 33 (D)
- 17 N. State LLC· 409,072 sq ft · score 78 (B)
- 1375 Fulton· 399,230 sq ft · score 67 (C)
- 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 121 West Wacker Drive AKA 221 N La Salle Street's energy grade?
121 West Wacker Drive AKA 221 N La Salle Street scores 72 out of 100 on ENERGY STAR — band B, above median (70–84) — in its 2023 Chicago disclosure. Scores are national percentiles against similar buildings; 75+ qualifies for ENERGY STAR certification.
How much energy does 121 West Wacker Drive AKA 221 N La Salle Street use?
Its 2023 site energy-use intensity was 76.3 kBtu/ft² (134.0 kBtu/ft² source) across 417,599 sq ft, including 3,763,312 kWh of electricity and 190,360 therms of natural gas.
What are 121 West Wacker Drive AKA 221 N La Salle Street's carbon emissions?
121 West Wacker Drive AKA 221 N La Salle Street reported 2,808 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions (6.7 kgCO₂e/ft²) for 2023.
Where is 121 West Wacker Drive AKA 221 N La Salle Street?
121 West Wacker Drive AKA 221 N La Salle Street is in Chicago, Illinois 60601. Its coordinates are 41.79675, -87.72341 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Chicago Energy Benchmarking file.
How big is 121 West Wacker Drive AKA 221 N La Salle Street and when was it built?
121 West Wacker Drive AKA 221 N La Salle Street has 417,599 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2023 disclosure. The disclosure lists 1930 as its year built. It is classed as office.
Is 121 West Wacker Drive AKA 221 N La Salle Street 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, “121 West Wacker Drive AKA 221 N La Salle Street, Chicago, Illinois — 2023 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/chicago/121-west-wacker-drive-aka-221-n-la-salle-street-ba5b5f2e (data as of October 2, 2026).