Residence Hall/Dormitory buildings in Chicago
25 residence hall/dormitory buildings benchmarked under Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance, graded by ENERGY STAR score.
At a glance
25 residence hall/dormitory buildings in Chicago disclose their energy use under the Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance, 1% of the city's 3,852 benchmarked buildings and its 15th-largest property type. They average an ENERGY STAR score of 64 (median 69) and a site EUI of 83.6 kBtu/ft². The top scorer is Breckinridge House, at 95.
Top of the class
Most efficient
| Building | Score | Site EUI | Floor area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breckinridge House | A95 | 51.5 kBtu/ft² | 50,698 sq ft |
| Bellarmine Hall-ID#173888 | B83 | 59.6 kBtu/ft² | 85,129 sq ft |
| Fairfield Hall-ID#105533 | B82 | 69.1 kBtu/ft² | 56,200 sq ft |
| Santa Clara Hall-ID# 161053 | B75 | 71.3 kBtu/ft² | 61,053 sq ft |
| Baumhart Hall-ID#160412 | B74 | 61.0 kBtu/ft² | 246,327 sq ft |
| International House | B74 | 80.8 kBtu/ft² | 237,121 sq ft |
| San Francisco Hall-ID# 254170 | B73 | 44.9 kBtu/ft² | 92,000 sq ft |
| Regis Hall-ID#254172 | B72 | 63.4 kBtu/ft² | 122,000 sq ft |
| Campus North Residential Commons | C69 | 85.4 kBtu/ft² | 419,219 sq ft |
| Snell-Hitchcock | C69 | 67.9 kBtu/ft² | 73,837 sq ft |
| Burton-Judson Courts | C65 | 75.2 kBtu/ft² | 201,402 sq ft |
| The Chicago Building | C64 | 93.2 kBtu/ft² | 104,965 sq ft |
| 162 North State Street | C58 | 98.9 kBtu/ft² | 318,360 sq ft |
| Campion Hall-ID# 254165 | D50 | 111.5 kBtu/ft² | 80,742 sq ft |
| Renee Granville-Grossman Residential Commons | D44 | 116.2 kBtu/ft² | 338,679 sq ft |
Penalty exposure
Least efficient
| Building | Score | Site EUI | Floor area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freedom Center | D29 | 123.3 kBtu/ft² | 184,000 sq ft |
| de Nobili Hall-ID#254169 | D29 | 120.8 kBtu/ft² | 73,000 sq ft |
| Renee Granville-Grossman Residential Commons | D44 | 116.2 kBtu/ft² | 338,679 sq ft |
| Fordham Hall- ID# 103681 | D44 | 119.4 kBtu/ft² | 113,750 sq ft |
| Campion Hall-ID# 254165 | D50 | 111.5 kBtu/ft² | 80,742 sq ft |
| 162 North State Street | C58 | 98.9 kBtu/ft² | 318,360 sq ft |
| The Chicago Building | C64 | 93.2 kBtu/ft² | 104,965 sq ft |
| Burton-Judson Courts | C65 | 75.2 kBtu/ft² | 201,402 sq ft |
| Campus North Residential Commons | C69 | 85.4 kBtu/ft² | 419,219 sq ft |
| Snell-Hitchcock | C69 | 67.9 kBtu/ft² | 73,837 sq ft |
| Regis Hall-ID#254172 | B72 | 63.4 kBtu/ft² | 122,000 sq ft |
| San Francisco Hall-ID# 254170 | B73 | 44.9 kBtu/ft² | 92,000 sq ft |
| Baumhart Hall-ID#160412 | B74 | 61.0 kBtu/ft² | 246,327 sq ft |
| International House | B74 | 80.8 kBtu/ft² | 237,121 sq ft |
| Santa Clara Hall-ID# 161053 | B75 | 71.3 kBtu/ft² | 61,053 sq ft |
Scale
Largest
| Building | Score | Site EUI | Floor area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Campus North Residential Commons | C69 | 85.4 kBtu/ft² | 419,219 sq ft |
| Wabash Building | –— | 79.4 kBtu/ft² | 414,585 sq ft |
| Renee Granville-Grossman Residential Commons | D44 | 116.2 kBtu/ft² | 338,679 sq ft |
| 162 North State Street | C58 | 98.9 kBtu/ft² | 318,360 sq ft |
| Mertz Hall - CFSU-ID# 254162 | –— | 58.0 kBtu/ft² | 255,286 sq ft |
| Baumhart Hall-ID#160412 | B74 | 61.0 kBtu/ft² | 246,327 sq ft |
| International House | B74 | 80.8 kBtu/ft² | 237,121 sq ft |
| Burton-Judson Courts | C65 | 75.2 kBtu/ft² | 201,402 sq ft |
| Freedom Center | D29 | 123.3 kBtu/ft² | 184,000 sq ft |
| Regis Hall-ID#254172 | B72 | 63.4 kBtu/ft² | 122,000 sq ft |
How do Chicago's residence hall/dormitory buildings compare with the rest of the city?
Their average ENERGY STAR score of 64 is roughly in line with the citywide average of 60. Average site EUI is 83.6 kBtu/ft², roughly in line with the city's 84.4 kBtu/ft² across all property types. Emissions intensity averages 7.1 kgCO₂e/ft², roughly in line with the citywide 7.5. 22% of the scored residence hall/dormitory buildings reach 75 or higher, the ENERGY STAR certification threshold. Together they reported 26,527 tCO₂e in their latest years, 1% of the city's disclosed building emissions.
How do Chicago's residence hall/dormitory buildings compare nationally?
Across all 24 jurisdictions BuildingCensus covers there are 702 residence hall/dormitory buildings, averaging an ENERGY STAR score of 70 and a site EUI of 70.7 kBtu/ft². Chicago has the 8th-most residence hall/dormitory buildings of the 8 jurisdictions with at least 25. By average ENERGY STAR score it ranks 7th of 8; Cambridge leads at 80.
How big and how old are Chicago's residence hall/dormitory buildings?
The average residence hall/dormitory building here has 167,953 sq ft of floor area, about 31% below the citywide average of 244,008 sq ft. Together they cover 3.9 million square feet. The average year built is 1977, against 1967 for all disclosed buildings in the city. The largest is Campus North Residential Commons, at 419,219 sq ft.
More on Chicago's buildings
- All Chicago benchmarked buildings· Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance
- Multifamily Housing buildings in Chicago· 1,515 buildings
- K-12 School buildings in Chicago· 543 buildings
- Office buildings in Chicago· 387 buildings
- Residential buildings in Chicago· 327 buildings
- Commercial buildings in Chicago· 133 buildings
- College/University buildings in Chicago· 92 buildings
- Residence Hall/Dormitory buildings in New York City· 343 buildings
- Residence Hall/Dormitory buildings in California· 85 buildings
- Residence Hall/Dormitory buildings in Washington, DC· 64 buildings
- Residence Hall/Dormitory buildings in Cambridge· 43 buildings
- Residence Hall/Dormitory buildings in Boston· 37 buildings
- Residence Hall/Dormitory buildings in Philadelphia· 27 buildings
- Most efficient large buildings in Chicago
- Biggest emitters in Chicago
Frequently asked questions
How efficient are Chicago's residence hall/dormitory buildings?
The 25 benchmarked residence hall/dormitory buildings in Chicago average an ENERGY STAR score of 64 and a site energy-use intensity of 83.6 kBtu/ft² in their latest disclosures under the Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance.
Which residence hall/dormitory building in Chicago has the best energy grade?
Breckinridge House leads with an ENERGY STAR score of 95 across 50,698 sq ft.
How many residence hall/dormitory buildings in Chicago could qualify for ENERGY STAR certification?
22% of the 18 scored residence hall/dormitory buildings report a score of 75 or higher, the threshold for certification eligibility; certification itself is a separate, verified application.
What is the largest residence hall/dormitory building in Chicago?
Campus North Residential Commons, with 419,219 sq ft of gross floor area in its latest disclosure.
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, “Residence Hall/Dormitory buildings in Chicago”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/chicago/type/residence-hall-dormitory (data as of October 2, 2026).