The Catalyst
Multifamily Housing in Chicago, IL · 123 N Desplaines Street · 60661
At a glance
The Catalyst is a 255,042-square-foot multifamily housing building at 123 N Desplaines Street in Chicago, Illinois, built in 2014. In its 2023 Chicago benchmarking disclosure it reported an ENERGY STAR score of 39 out of 100 (grade D), a site energy-use intensity of 68.5 kBtu/ft² and 1,634 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions. That score is higher than 21% 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 | 39 (band D) |
| Site EUI | 68.5 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | 127.7 kBtu/ft² |
| GHG emissions | 1,634 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | 6.4 kgCO₂e/ft² |
| Electricity | 2,383,270 kWh |
| Natural gas | 93,334 therms |
| Water use | 8,370 kgal |
| Gross floor area | 255,042 sq ft |
| Source record | chicago:254093:2023 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023latest | 39 | +6 | 68.5 kBtu/ft² | 1,634 tCO₂e |
| 2022 | 33 | +8 | 80.9 kBtu/ft² | 1,876 tCO₂e |
| 2021 | 25 | -18 | 84.2 kBtu/ft² | 1,934 tCO₂e |
| 2020 | 43 | -8 | 71.4 kBtu/ft² | 1,812 tCO₂e |
| 2019 | 51 | +10 | 72.3 kBtu/ft² | 1,833 tCO₂e |
| 2018 | 41 | -3 | 76.2 kBtu/ft² | 2,015 tCO₂e |
| 2017 | 44 | +35 | 70.3 kBtu/ft² | 1,936 tCO₂e |
| 2016 | 9 | 87.9 kBtu/ft² | 2,721 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
- 123 N Desplaines Street
- City
- Chicago
- State
- Illinois
- ZIP
- 60661
- Coordinates
- 41.93962, -87.66636
Within ~1 km
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How does The Catalyst 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. The Catalyst's ENERGY STAR score of 39 compares with an average of 62 across the 1,472 that report a score; it scores higher than 21% of them and lower than 78%. Its site EUI of 68.5 kBtu/ft² is roughly in line with the average of 72.0 kBtu/ft² — it uses less energy per square foot than the typical building in that group. Its emissions intensity of 6.4 kgCO₂e/ft² is about 10% above the group average of 5.8 kgCO₂e/ft².
At 255,042 sq ft, it is about 24% above the average floor area of 206,097 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 2014, 43 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 The Catalyst's energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 8 Chicago disclosures for The Catalyst, covering report years 2016–2023. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 9 in 2016 to 39 in 2023 (+30 points); its best year on file was 2019, at 51. Site EUI moved from 87.9 kBtu/ft² (2016) to 68.5 kBtu/ft² (2023), a 22% decrease. Reported emissions went from 2,721 tCO₂e to 1,634 tCO₂e over the same span (down 40%).
What does an ENERGY STAR score of 39 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 39 means the building performs better than about 39% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 39 falls in band D — lowest band (1–54). It sits 36 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. The Catalyst's 68.5 kBtu/ft² across 255,042 sq ft works out to about 17.5 billion Btu (5,120 MWh-equivalent) in 2023. Its source EUI of 127.7 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 2,383,270 kWh of electricity, 93,334 therms of natural gas and 8,370 thousand gallons of water for the year.
Which law requires The Catalyst to report its energy use?
The Catalyst 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:254093:2023). 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
- 3240 North Lake Shore Drive· 254,911 sq ft · score 97 (A)
- Two East Oak Condominium Association (tw206)· 253,772 sq ft · score 31 (D)
- 1164 West Madison· 253,422 sq ft · score 57 (C)
- Parker at Fulton Market· 252,504 sq ft · score 57 (C)
- University Village Lofts· 252,097 sq ft · score 96 (A)
- 1620 S. Michigan Ave Condo Association· 251,677 sq ft · score 54 (D)
- 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 The Catalyst's energy grade?
The Catalyst scores 39 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 The Catalyst use?
Its 2023 site energy-use intensity was 68.5 kBtu/ft² (127.7 kBtu/ft² source) across 255,042 sq ft, including 2,383,270 kWh of electricity and 93,334 therms of natural gas.
What are The Catalyst's carbon emissions?
The Catalyst reported 1,634 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions (6.4 kgCO₂e/ft²) for 2023.
Where is The Catalyst?
The Catalyst is at 123 N Desplaines Street, in Chicago, Illinois 60661. Its coordinates are 41.93962, -87.66636 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Chicago Energy Benchmarking file.
How big is The Catalyst and when was it built?
The Catalyst has 255,042 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2023 disclosure. The disclosure lists 2014 as its year built. It is classed as multifamily housing.
Is The Catalyst 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 Catalyst, Chicago, Illinois — 2023 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/chicago/the-catalyst-695ff72c (data as of October 2, 2026).