At a glance
Leo Burnett Building is a 1,392,096-square-foot office building at 35 W. Wacker Dr. in Chicago, Illinois, built in 1989. In its 2023 Chicago benchmarking disclosure it reported an ENERGY STAR score of 76 out of 100 (grade B), a site energy-use intensity of 49.6 kBtu/ft² and 9,663 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions. That score is higher than 53% of the 320 scored office buildings in Chicago.
Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance · reporting year 2023
Benchmarking record
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ENERGY STAR score | 76 (band B) |
| Site EUI | 49.6 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | 138.9 kBtu/ft² |
| GHG emissions | 9,663 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | 6.9 kgCO₂e/ft² |
| Electricity | 20,239,283 kWh |
| Water use | 12,502 kgal |
| Gross floor area | 1,392,096 sq ft |
| Source record | chicago:101760:2023 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023latest | 76 | +1 | 49.6 kBtu/ft² | 9,663 tCO₂e |
| 2022 | 75 | +1 | 50.4 kBtu/ft² | 9,237 tCO₂e |
| 2021 | 74 | -4 | 49.4 kBtu/ft² | 9,826 tCO₂e |
| 2020 | 78 | -5 | 42.6 kBtu/ft² | 9,225 tCO₂e |
| 2019 | 83 | +16 | 57.5 kBtu/ft² | — |
| 2018 | 67 | -21 | 67.2 kBtu/ft² | 15,409 tCO₂e |
| 2017 | 88 | +5 | 59.8 kBtu/ft² | 15,190 tCO₂e |
| 2016 | 83 | +1 | 67.5 kBtu/ft² | 17,115 tCO₂e |
| 2015 | 82 | +3 | 67.5 kBtu/ft² | 18,672 tCO₂e |
| 2014 | 79 | 75.0 kBtu/ft² | 20,699 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
- 35 W. Wacker Dr.
- City
- Chicago
- State
- Illinois
- ZIP
- 60601
- Coordinates
- 41.94953, -87.68605
Within ~1 km
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- WGN Studiosscore 1
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See also: most efficient in Chicago · biggest emitters
How does Leo Burnett Building compare with other office buildings in Chicago?
The latest disclosures cover 387 office buildings in Chicago, out of 3,852 buildings citywide. Leo Burnett Building's ENERGY STAR score of 76 compares with an average of 69 across the 320 that report a score; it scores higher than 53% of them and lower than 43%. Its site EUI of 49.6 kBtu/ft² is about 30% below 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 6.9 kgCO₂e/ft² is roughly in line with the group average of 7.5 kgCO₂e/ft².
At 1,392,096 sq ft, it is about 185% above the average floor area of 488,124 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 1989, 33 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 Leo Burnett Building's energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 10 Chicago disclosures for Leo Burnett Building, covering report years 2014–2023. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 79 in 2014 to 76 in 2023 (-3 points); its best year on file was 2017, at 88. Site EUI moved from 75.0 kBtu/ft² (2014) to 49.6 kBtu/ft² (2023), a 34% decrease. Reported emissions went from 20,699 tCO₂e to 9,663 tCO₂e over the same span (down 53%).
What does an ENERGY STAR score of 76 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 76 means the building performs better than about 76% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 76 falls in band B — above median (70–84). 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. Leo Burnett Building's 49.6 kBtu/ft² across 1,392,096 sq ft works out to about 69 billion Btu (20,236 MWh-equivalent) in 2023. Its source EUI of 138.9 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 20,239,283 kWh of electricity and 12,502 thousand gallons of water for the year.
Which law requires Leo Burnett Building to report its energy use?
Leo Burnett Building 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:101760:2023). 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
- One South Wacker· 1,387,952 sq ft · score 82 (B)
- 353 North Clark· 1,364,257 sq ft · score 76 (B)
- 100/150 S. Wacker· 1,281,114 sq ft · score 78 (B)
- 111 South Wacker· 1,248,730 sq ft · score 72 (B)
- River Point· 1,239,203 sq ft · score 86 (A)
- 222 South Riverside· 1,237,455 sq ft · score 85 (A)
- 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 Leo Burnett Building's energy grade?
Leo Burnett Building scores 76 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 Leo Burnett Building use?
Its 2023 site energy-use intensity was 49.6 kBtu/ft² (138.9 kBtu/ft² source) across 1,392,096 sq ft, including 20,239,283 kWh of electricity.
What are Leo Burnett Building's carbon emissions?
Leo Burnett Building reported 9,663 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions (6.9 kgCO₂e/ft²) for 2023.
Where is Leo Burnett Building?
Leo Burnett Building is at 35 W. Wacker Dr., in Chicago, Illinois 60601. Its coordinates are 41.94953, -87.68605 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Chicago Energy Benchmarking file.
How big is Leo Burnett Building and when was it built?
Leo Burnett Building has 1,392,096 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2023 disclosure. The disclosure lists 1989 as its year built. It is classed as office.
Is Leo Burnett Building 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, “Leo Burnett Building, Chicago, Illinois — 2023 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/chicago/leo-burnett-building-87063ad1 (data as of October 2, 2026).