Northern Trust HeadOuarters
Financial Office in Chicago, IL · 50 S. Lasalle · 60603
At a glance
Northern Trust HeadOuarters is a 584,000-square-foot financial office at 50 S. Lasalle in Chicago, Illinois, built in 1963. In its 2023 Chicago benchmarking disclosure it reported an ENERGY STAR score of 74 out of 100 (grade B), a site energy-use intensity of 64.9 kBtu/ft² and 3,857 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions. That score is higher than 63% of the 2,464 scored buildings in Chicago.
Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance · reporting year 2023
Benchmarking record
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ENERGY STAR score | 74 (band B) |
| Site EUI | 64.9 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | 131.8 kBtu/ft² |
| GHG emissions | 3,857 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | 6.6 kgCO₂e/ft² |
| Electricity | 6,228,889 kWh |
| Natural gas | 166,260 therms |
| Water use | 3,258 kgal |
| Gross floor area | 584,000 sq ft |
| Source record | chicago:103664:2023 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023latest | 74 | ±0 | 64.9 kBtu/ft² | 3,857 tCO₂e |
| 2022 | 74 | 64.4 kBtu/ft² | 3,538 tCO₂e | |
| 2021 | — | — | — | |
| 2020 | 79 | +8 | 54.7 kBtu/ft² | 3,422 tCO₂e |
| 2019 | 71 | +4 | 73.7 kBtu/ft² | 4,927 tCO₂e |
| 2018 | 67 | -2 | 80.0 kBtu/ft² | 5,128 tCO₂e |
| 2017 | 69 | -17 | 74.7 kBtu/ft² | 5,152 tCO₂e |
| 2016 | 86 | +3 | 82.2 kBtu/ft² | 6,066 tCO₂e |
| 2015 | 83 | +3 | 88.1 kBtu/ft² | 6,856 tCO₂e |
| 2014 | 80 | 91.0 kBtu/ft² | 7,430 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
- 50 S. Lasalle
- City
- Chicago
- State
- Illinois
- ZIP
- 60603
- Coordinates
- 41.93978, -87.63865
Within ~1 km
Nearby benchmarked buildings
- 300 North LaSallescore 71
Office · 1,506,959 sq ft
- 30 North LaSalle Streetscore 82
Office · 1,095,104 sq ft
- 340 on the Parkscore 25
Multifamily Housing · 801,566 sq ft
- University Center Chicagoscore —
Other - Lodging/Residential · 702,000 sq ft
- 203 North LaSallescore 76
Office · 624,735 sq ft
- 333 N. Greenscore 77
Office · 622,736 sq ft
See also: most efficient in Chicago · biggest emitters
How does Northern Trust HeadOuarters compare with other financial office buildings in Chicago?
The latest disclosures cover 6 financial office buildings in Chicago, out of 3,852 buildings citywide. Northern Trust HeadOuarters's ENERGY STAR score of 74 compares with an average of 79 across the 3 that report a score. Its site EUI of 64.9 kBtu/ft² is about 18% below the average of 79.2 kBtu/ft² — it uses less energy per square foot than the typical building in that group. Its emissions intensity of 6.6 kgCO₂e/ft² is about 27% below the group average of 9.1 kgCO₂e/ft².
At 584,000 sq ft, it is about half of the average floor area of 1,150,111 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 1963, 20 years earlier than the group's average year built (1984). Across all 24 jurisdictions BuildingCensus covers, the 161 financial office buildings average an ENERGY STAR score of 72 and a site EUI of 69.2 kBtu/ft².
How has Northern Trust HeadOuarters's energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 10 Chicago disclosures for Northern Trust HeadOuarters, covering report years 2014–2023. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 80 in 2014 to 74 in 2023 (-6 points); its best year on file was 2016, at 86. Site EUI moved from 91.0 kBtu/ft² (2014) to 64.9 kBtu/ft² (2023), a 29% decrease. Reported emissions went from 7,430 tCO₂e to 3,857 tCO₂e over the same span (down 48%).
What does an ENERGY STAR score of 74 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 74 means the building performs better than about 74% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 74 falls in band B — above median (70–84). It sits 1 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. Northern Trust HeadOuarters's 64.9 kBtu/ft² across 584,000 sq ft works out to about 37.9 billion Btu (11,108 MWh-equivalent) in 2023. Its source EUI of 131.8 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 6,228,889 kWh of electricity, 166,260 therms of natural gas and 3,258 thousand gallons of water for the year.
Which law requires Northern Trust HeadOuarters to report its energy use?
Northern Trust HeadOuarters 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:103664:2023). Covered buildings that fail to benchmark and report face fines of up to $100 plus $25 per day of violation under the ordinance.
More financial office buildings in Chicago
Frequently asked questions
What is Northern Trust HeadOuarters's energy grade?
Northern Trust HeadOuarters scores 74 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 Northern Trust HeadOuarters use?
Its 2023 site energy-use intensity was 64.9 kBtu/ft² (131.8 kBtu/ft² source) across 584,000 sq ft, including 6,228,889 kWh of electricity and 166,260 therms of natural gas.
What are Northern Trust HeadOuarters's carbon emissions?
Northern Trust HeadOuarters reported 3,857 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions (6.6 kgCO₂e/ft²) for 2023.
Where is Northern Trust HeadOuarters?
Northern Trust HeadOuarters is at 50 S. Lasalle, in Chicago, Illinois 60603. Its coordinates are 41.93978, -87.63865 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Chicago Energy Benchmarking file.
How big is Northern Trust HeadOuarters and when was it built?
Northern Trust HeadOuarters has 584,000 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2023 disclosure. The disclosure lists 1963 as its year built. It is classed as financial office.
Is Northern Trust HeadOuarters 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, “Northern Trust HeadOuarters, Chicago, Illinois — 2023 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/chicago/northern-trust-headouarters-a8b539ce (data as of October 2, 2026).