The Art Institute of Chicago
Museum in Chicago, IL · 111 South Michigan Ave · 60603
At a glance
The Art Institute of Chicago is a 1,008,416-square-foot museum building at 111 South Michigan Ave in Chicago, Illinois, built in 1892. In its 2023 Chicago benchmarking disclosure it reported a site energy-use intensity of 196.7 kBtu/ft² and 16,445 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions.
Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance · reporting year 2023
Benchmarking record
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ENERGY STAR score | — |
| Site EUI | 196.7 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | 324.7 kBtu/ft² |
| GHG emissions | 16,445 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | 16.3 kgCO₂e/ft² |
| Electricity | 19,954,029 kWh |
| Natural gas | 1,302,481 therms |
| Water use | 38,587 kgal |
| Gross floor area | 1,008,416 sq ft |
| Source record | chicago:160196:2023 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023latest | — | 196.7 kBtu/ft² | 16,445 tCO₂e | |
| 2022 | — | 237.2 kBtu/ft² | 19,069 tCO₂e | |
| 2021 | — | — | — | |
| 2020 | — | 238.0 kBtu/ft² | 20,891 tCO₂e | |
| 2019 | — | 261.9 kBtu/ft² | 24,167 tCO₂e | |
| 2018 | — | 257.4 kBtu/ft² | 23,960 tCO₂e | |
| 2017 | — | 242.9 kBtu/ft² | 24,200 tCO₂e | |
| 2016 | — | 249.4 kBtu/ft² | 25,341 tCO₂e | |
| 2015 | — | 239.7 kBtu/ft² | 27,319 tCO₂e | |
| 2014 | — | 251.0 kBtu/ft² | 27,458 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.
Own or manage this building? Claim it to correct the record and get compliance alerts.
Location
- Address
- 111 South Michigan Ave
- City
- Chicago
- State
- Illinois
- ZIP
- 60603
- Coordinates
- 41.93598, -87.66524
Within ~1 km
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See also: most efficient in Chicago · biggest emitters
How does The Art Institute of Chicago 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 196.7 kBtu/ft² is about twice the average of 99.9 kBtu/ft² — it uses more energy per square foot than the typical building in that group. Its emissions intensity of 16.3 kgCO₂e/ft² is about 73% above the group average of 9.4 kgCO₂e/ft².
At 1,008,416 sq ft, it is about 82% above the average floor area of 553,820 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 1892, 33 years earlier than the group's average year built (1925).
How has The Art Institute of Chicago's energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 10 Chicago disclosures for The Art Institute of Chicago, covering report years 2014–2023. Site EUI moved from 251.0 kBtu/ft² (2014) to 196.7 kBtu/ft² (2023), a 22% decrease. Reported emissions went from 27,458 tCO₂e to 16,445 tCO₂e over the same span (down 40%).
What does a site EUI of 196.7 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. The Art Institute of Chicago's 196.7 kBtu/ft² across 1,008,416 sq ft works out to about 198.4 billion Btu (58,132 MWh-equivalent) in 2023. Its source EUI of 324.7 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 19,954,029 kWh of electricity, 1,302,481 therms of natural gas and 38,587 thousand gallons of water for the year.
Which law requires The Art Institute of Chicago to report its energy use?
The Art Institute of Chicago 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:160196:2023). 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
- 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 The Art Institute of Chicago's energy grade?
The Art Institute of Chicago did not report an ENERGY STAR score in its 2023 disclosure, but its site energy-use intensity was 196.7 kBtu/ft².
How much energy does The Art Institute of Chicago use?
Its 2023 site energy-use intensity was 196.7 kBtu/ft² (324.7 kBtu/ft² source) across 1,008,416 sq ft, including 19,954,029 kWh of electricity and 1,302,481 therms of natural gas.
What are The Art Institute of Chicago's carbon emissions?
The Art Institute of Chicago reported 16,445 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions (16.3 kgCO₂e/ft²) for 2023.
Where is The Art Institute of Chicago?
The Art Institute of Chicago is at 111 South Michigan Ave, in Chicago, Illinois 60603. Its coordinates are 41.93598, -87.66524 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Chicago Energy Benchmarking file.
How big is The Art Institute of Chicago and when was it built?
The Art Institute of Chicago has 1,008,416 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2023 disclosure. The disclosure lists 1892 as its year built. It is classed as museum.
Is The Art Institute of Chicago 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, “The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois — 2023 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/chicago/the-art-institute-of-chicago-476b561f (data as of October 2, 2026).