John G Shedd AOuarium
Other in Chicago, IL · 1200 South Lake Shore Drive · 60605
At a glance
John G Shedd AOuarium is a 452,756-square-foot other building at 1200 South Lake Shore Drive in Chicago, Illinois, built in 1929. In its 2023 Chicago benchmarking disclosure it reported a site energy-use intensity of 180.7 kBtu/ft² and 8,864 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions.
Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance · reporting year 2023
Benchmarking record
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ENERGY STAR score | — |
| Site EUI | 180.7 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | 390.9 kBtu/ft² |
| GHG emissions | 8,864 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | 19.6 kgCO₂e/ft² |
| Electricity | 15,250,487 kWh |
| Natural gas | 297,962 therms |
| Water use | 27,272 kgal |
| Gross floor area | 452,756 sq ft |
| Source record | chicago:166134:2023 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023latest | — | 180.7 kBtu/ft² | 8,864 tCO₂e | |
| 2022 | — | 196.4 kBtu/ft² | 9,640 tCO₂e | |
| 2021 | — | 202.0 kBtu/ft² | 10,017 tCO₂e | |
| 2020 | — | 183.9 kBtu/ft² | 9,989 tCO₂e | |
| 2019 | — | 202.0 kBtu/ft² | 11,371 tCO₂e | |
| 2018 | — | 198.3 kBtu/ft² | 11,270 tCO₂e | |
| 2017 | — | 195.9 kBtu/ft² | 12,294 tCO₂e | |
| 2016 | — | 197.8 kBtu/ft² | 12,475 tCO₂e | |
| 2015 | — | 204.5 kBtu/ft² | 13,834 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
- 1200 South Lake Shore Drive
- City
- Chicago
- State
- Illinois
- ZIP
- 60605
- Coordinates
- 41.70262, -87.60646
Within ~1 km
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See also: most efficient in Chicago · biggest emitters
How does John G Shedd AOuarium compare with other other buildings in Chicago?
The latest disclosures cover 22 other buildings in Chicago, out of 3,852 buildings citywide. Its site EUI of 180.7 kBtu/ft² is about twice the average of 89.7 kBtu/ft² — it uses more energy per square foot than the typical building in that group. Its emissions intensity of 19.6 kgCO₂e/ft² is about 136% above the group average of 8.3 kgCO₂e/ft².
At 452,756 sq ft, it is about 197% above the average floor area of 152,518 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 1929, 35 years earlier than the group's average year built (1964). Across all 24 jurisdictions BuildingCensus covers, the 1,327 other buildings average an ENERGY STAR score of 60 and a site EUI of 63.3 kBtu/ft².
How has John G Shedd AOuarium's energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 9 Chicago disclosures for John G Shedd AOuarium, covering report years 2015–2023. Site EUI moved from 204.5 kBtu/ft² (2015) to 180.7 kBtu/ft² (2023), a 12% decrease. Reported emissions went from 13,834 tCO₂e to 8,864 tCO₂e over the same span (down 36%).
What does a site EUI of 180.7 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. John G Shedd AOuarium's 180.7 kBtu/ft² across 452,756 sq ft works out to about 81.8 billion Btu (23,977 MWh-equivalent) in 2023. Its source EUI of 390.9 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 15,250,487 kWh of electricity, 297,962 therms of natural gas and 27,272 thousand gallons of water for the year.
Which law requires John G Shedd AOuarium to report its energy use?
John G Shedd AOuarium 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:166134:2023). Covered buildings that fail to benchmark and report face fines of up to $100 plus $25 per day of violation under the ordinance.
More other buildings in Chicago
- 300 N Michigan· 433,000 sq ft · EUI 46.5 kBtu/ft²
- Bradley Business Center II· 374,000 sq ft · EUI 39.8 kBtu/ft²
- Northwest Armory· 204,256 sq ft · EUI 60.7 kBtu/ft²
- Taylor Park· 150,000 sq ft · EUI 24.4 kBtu/ft²
- Dearborn Station· 145,809 sq ft · EUI 71.9 kBtu/ft²
- Workshop 4200· 141,071 sq ft · EUI 71.4 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 John G Shedd AOuarium's energy grade?
John G Shedd AOuarium did not report an ENERGY STAR score in its 2023 disclosure, but its site energy-use intensity was 180.7 kBtu/ft².
How much energy does John G Shedd AOuarium use?
Its 2023 site energy-use intensity was 180.7 kBtu/ft² (390.9 kBtu/ft² source) across 452,756 sq ft, including 15,250,487 kWh of electricity and 297,962 therms of natural gas.
What are John G Shedd AOuarium's carbon emissions?
John G Shedd AOuarium reported 8,864 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions (19.6 kgCO₂e/ft²) for 2023.
Where is John G Shedd AOuarium?
John G Shedd AOuarium is at 1200 South Lake Shore Drive, in Chicago, Illinois 60605. Its coordinates are 41.70262, -87.60646 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Chicago Energy Benchmarking file.
How big is John G Shedd AOuarium and when was it built?
John G Shedd AOuarium has 452,756 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2023 disclosure. The disclosure lists 1929 as its year built. It is classed as other.
Is John G Shedd AOuarium 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, “John G Shedd AOuarium, Chicago, Illinois — 2023 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/chicago/john-g-shedd-aouarium-91e6b7e6 (data as of October 2, 2026).