Griffin Museum of Science and Industry
Museum in Chicago, IL · 5700 South Lake Shore Drive · 60637
At a glance
Griffin Museum of Science and Industry is a 1,300,000-square-foot museum building at 5700 South Lake Shore Drive in Chicago, Illinois, built in 1893. In its 2023 Chicago benchmarking disclosure it reported a site energy-use intensity of 47.2 kBtu/ft² and 6,355 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions.
Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance · reporting year 2023
Benchmarking record
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ENERGY STAR score | — |
| Site EUI | 47.2 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | 101.3 kBtu/ft² |
| GHG emissions | 6,355 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | 4.9 kgCO₂e/ft² |
| Electricity | 11,261,049 kWh |
| Natural gas | 229,146 therms |
| Gross floor area | 1,300,000 sq ft |
| Source record | chicago:102460:2023 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023latest | — | 47.2 kBtu/ft² | 6,355 tCO₂e | |
| 2022 | — | 51.8 kBtu/ft² | 6,291 tCO₂e | |
| 2021 | — | 44.0 kBtu/ft² | 5,884 tCO₂e | |
| 2020 | — | 38.8 kBtu/ft² | 5,372 tCO₂e | |
| 2019 | — | 49.6 kBtu/ft² | 7,443 tCO₂e | |
| 2018 | — | 56.7 kBtu/ft² | 8,082 tCO₂e | |
| 2017 | — | 54.4 kBtu/ft² | 8,723 tCO₂e | |
| 2016 | — | 57.1 kBtu/ft² | 9,172 tCO₂e | |
| 2015 | — | 57.1 kBtu/ft² | 9,876 tCO₂e | |
| 2014 | — | 62.0 kBtu/ft² | 10,297 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
- 5700 South Lake Shore Drive
- City
- Chicago
- State
- Illinois
- ZIP
- 60637
- Coordinates
- 41.96910, -87.70864
Within ~1 km
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See also: most efficient in Chicago · biggest emitters
How does Griffin Museum of Science and Industry compare with other museum buildings in Chicago?
The latest disclosures cover 6 museum buildings in Chicago, out of 3,852 buildings citywide. Its site EUI of 47.2 kBtu/ft² is about half of the average of 99.9 kBtu/ft² — it uses less energy per square foot than the typical building in that group. Its emissions intensity of 4.9 kgCO₂e/ft² is about half of the group average of 9.4 kgCO₂e/ft².
At 1,300,000 sq ft, it is about 135% above the average floor area of 553,820 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 1893, 32 years earlier than the group's average year built (1925).
How has Griffin Museum of Science and Industry's energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 10 Chicago disclosures for Griffin Museum of Science and Industry, covering report years 2014–2023. Site EUI moved from 62.0 kBtu/ft² (2014) to 47.2 kBtu/ft² (2023), a 24% decrease. Reported emissions went from 10,297 tCO₂e to 6,355 tCO₂e over the same span (down 38%).
What does a site EUI of 47.2 kBtu/ft² mean?
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. Griffin Museum of Science and Industry's 47.2 kBtu/ft² across 1,300,000 sq ft works out to about 61.4 billion Btu (17,983 MWh-equivalent) in 2023. Its source EUI of 101.3 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 11,261,049 kWh of electricity and 229,146 therms of natural gas for the year.
Which law requires Griffin Museum of Science and Industry to report its energy use?
Griffin Museum of Science and Industry 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:102460:2023). Covered buildings that fail to benchmark and report face fines of up to $100 plus $25 per day of violation under the ordinance.
More museum buildings in Chicago
- The Art Institute of Chicago· 1,008,416 sq ft · EUI 196.7 kBtu/ft²
- Museum of Contemporary Art· 233,286 sq ft · EUI 100.6 kBtu/ft²
- Adler Planetarium· 175,000 sq ft · EUI 90.3 kBtu/ft²
- Polish Roman Catholic Union of America· 52,400 sq ft · EUI 64.6 kBtu/ft²
- 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 Griffin Museum of Science and Industry's energy grade?
Griffin Museum of Science and Industry did not report an ENERGY STAR score in its 2023 disclosure, but its site energy-use intensity was 47.2 kBtu/ft².
How much energy does Griffin Museum of Science and Industry use?
Its 2023 site energy-use intensity was 47.2 kBtu/ft² (101.3 kBtu/ft² source) across 1,300,000 sq ft, including 11,261,049 kWh of electricity and 229,146 therms of natural gas.
What are Griffin Museum of Science and Industry's carbon emissions?
Griffin Museum of Science and Industry reported 6,355 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions (4.9 kgCO₂e/ft²) for 2023.
Where is Griffin Museum of Science and Industry?
Griffin Museum of Science and Industry is at 5700 South Lake Shore Drive, in Chicago, Illinois 60637. Its coordinates are 41.96910, -87.70864 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Chicago Energy Benchmarking file.
How big is Griffin Museum of Science and Industry and when was it built?
Griffin Museum of Science and Industry has 1,300,000 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2023 disclosure. The disclosure lists 1893 as its year built. It is classed as museum.
Is Griffin Museum of Science and Industry 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, “Griffin Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago, Illinois — 2023 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/chicago/griffin-museum-of-science-and-industry-877b7445 (data as of October 2, 2026).