River Plaza
Multifamily Housing in Chicago, IL · 405 North Wabash · 60611
At a glance
River Plaza is a 734,298-square-foot multifamily housing building at 405 North Wabash in Chicago, Illinois, built in 1976. In its 2023 Chicago benchmarking disclosure it reported an ENERGY STAR score of 40 out of 100 (grade D), a site energy-use intensity of 81.5 kBtu/ft² and 4,835 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions. That score is higher than 22% of the 1,472 scored multifamily housing buildings in Chicago.
Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance · reporting year 2023
Benchmarking record
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ENERGY STAR score | 40 (band D) |
| Site EUI | 81.5 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | 131.0 kBtu/ft² |
| GHG emissions | 4,835 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | 6.6 kgCO₂e/ft² |
| Electricity | 5,589,926 kWh |
| Natural gas | 407,745 therms |
| Gross floor area | 734,298 sq ft |
| Source record | chicago:244017:2023 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023latest | 40 | -5 | 81.5 kBtu/ft² | 4,835 tCO₂e |
| 2022 | 45 | +5 | 91.6 kBtu/ft² | 5,047 tCO₂e |
| 2021 | 40 | +4 | 88.3 kBtu/ft² | 5,197 tCO₂e |
| 2020 | 36 | +2 | 91.5 kBtu/ft² | 5,563 tCO₂e |
| 2019 | 34 | +3 | 94.5 kBtu/ft² | 6,061 tCO₂e |
| 2018 | 31 | +2 | 97.0 kBtu/ft² | 6,327 tCO₂e |
| 2017 | 29 | +7 | 87.7 kBtu/ft² | 6,303 tCO₂e |
| 2016 | 22 | -20 | 93.9 kBtu/ft² | 6,832 tCO₂e |
| 2015 | 42 | 91.4 kBtu/ft² | 6,867 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
- 405 North Wabash
- City
- Chicago
- State
- Illinois
- ZIP
- 60611
- Coordinates
- 41.91525, -87.63429
Within ~1 km
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See also: most efficient in Chicago · biggest emitters
How does River Plaza compare with other multifamily housing buildings in Chicago?
The latest disclosures cover 1,515 multifamily housing buildings in Chicago, out of 3,852 buildings citywide. River Plaza's ENERGY STAR score of 40 compares with an average of 62 across the 1,472 that report a score; it scores higher than 22% of them and lower than 77%. Its site EUI of 81.5 kBtu/ft² is about 13% above the average of 72.0 kBtu/ft² — it uses more energy per square foot than the typical building in that group. Its emissions intensity of 6.6 kgCO₂e/ft² is about 14% above the group average of 5.8 kgCO₂e/ft².
At 734,298 sq ft, it is about 256% above the average floor area of 206,097 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 1976, 5 years later than the group's average year built (1971). Across all 24 jurisdictions BuildingCensus covers, the 59,945 multifamily housing buildings average an ENERGY STAR score of 70 and a site EUI of 59.0 kBtu/ft².
How has River Plaza's energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 9 Chicago disclosures for River Plaza, covering report years 2015–2023. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 42 in 2015 to 40 in 2023 (-2 points); its best year on file was 2022, at 45. Site EUI moved from 91.4 kBtu/ft² (2015) to 81.5 kBtu/ft² (2023), a 11% decrease. Reported emissions went from 6,867 tCO₂e to 4,835 tCO₂e over the same span (down 30%).
What does an ENERGY STAR score of 40 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 40 means the building performs better than about 40% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 40 falls in band D — lowest band (1–54). It sits 35 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. River Plaza's 81.5 kBtu/ft² across 734,298 sq ft works out to about 59.8 billion Btu (17,539 MWh-equivalent) in 2023. Its source EUI of 131.0 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 5,589,926 kWh of electricity and 407,745 therms of natural gas for the year.
Which law requires River Plaza to report its energy use?
River Plaza 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:244017:2023). Covered buildings that fail to benchmark and report face fines of up to $100 plus $25 per day of violation under the ordinance.
More multifamily housing buildings in Chicago
- 1350-60 N LSD· 726,800 sq ft · score 47 (D)
- Carl Sandburg Village Condominium Association No. 1· 722,318 sq ft · score 61 (C)
- 1130 South Michigan· 717,245 sq ft · score 58 (C)
- 500 Lake Shore Drive· 716,899 sq ft · score 77 (B)
- K2 Apartments· 715,440 sq ft · score 73 (B)
- 345 N LaSalle Drive· 712,000 sq ft · score 97 (A)
- Multifamily Housing buildings in Chicago· 1,515 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 River Plaza's energy grade?
River Plaza scores 40 out of 100 on ENERGY STAR — band D, lowest band (1–54) — in its 2023 Chicago disclosure. Scores are national percentiles against similar buildings; 75+ qualifies for ENERGY STAR certification.
How much energy does River Plaza use?
Its 2023 site energy-use intensity was 81.5 kBtu/ft² (131.0 kBtu/ft² source) across 734,298 sq ft, including 5,589,926 kWh of electricity and 407,745 therms of natural gas.
What are River Plaza's carbon emissions?
River Plaza reported 4,835 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions (6.6 kgCO₂e/ft²) for 2023.
Where is River Plaza?
River Plaza is at 405 North Wabash, in Chicago, Illinois 60611. Its coordinates are 41.91525, -87.63429 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Chicago Energy Benchmarking file.
How big is River Plaza and when was it built?
River Plaza has 734,298 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2023 disclosure. The disclosure lists 1976 as its year built. It is classed as multifamily housing.
Is River Plaza 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, “River Plaza, Chicago, Illinois — 2023 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/chicago/river-plaza-7acecac1 (data as of October 2, 2026).