Virgin Hotels Chicago, Once a Bank Building, Renovated with Efficiency in Mind - By Glenn Hasek

When Virgin Group opened its first hotel in January - the 250-room Virgin Hotels Chicago - what was not talked about much in the media was the green story behind the renovated historic Old Dearborn Bank Building at 203 N. Wabash Ave. Richard Branson, Virgin Group founder, and member of the B Team leaders who recently called for a global commitment to net-zero greenhouse-gas emissions by 2050, established a hotel brand with the goal of LEED Silver for each hotel.

When Virgin Group opened its first hotel in January - the 250-room Virgin Hotels Chicago - what was not talked about much in the media was the green story behind the renovated historic Old Dearborn Bank Building at 203 N. Wabash Ave. Richard Branson, Virgin Group founder, and member of the B Team leaders who recently called for a global commitment to net-zero greenhouse-gas emissions by 2050, established a hotel brand with the goal of LEED Silver for each hotel.

Virgin Hotels Chicago’s green story begins with its site selection. Rather than building new, Virgin Hotels chose a historic bank building and kept many of its features. The facade features rich, ornate designs including medieval characters, dragons, griffins, ducks, squirrels and more. About 80 percent of the building’s original lobby remains. The Oak Cigar Bar in the lobby is now used as the check-in desk where DIY kiosks are placed. There is a grand staircase with an oak wood banister in the lobby. Elevator doors are original brass and lobby walls are marble. Lobby floors are terrazzo and the same floor type can be found outside elevators on guestroom floors.

During construction, 75 percent of construction waste was diverted from the landfill and recycled. Ten percent of added building materials contain recycled content and 20 percent of all construction materials were sourced regionally. Recycling containers are placed throughout the hotel. The main hotel kitchen uses a digester that naturally breaks down food waste into a liquid using enzymes. Virgin Hotels is working with Clean the World for soap donations and is getting ready to send out its first shipment.

Green Roof Atop the Hotel

Atop the hotel is a green roof that reduces storm water runoff. The roof also helps to insulate the building, saving energy. The hotel uses about 20 percent less water than a comparable hotel its size. This is thanks to water-efficient toilets, faucet aerators, and a towel/linen reuse program. The hotel has partnered with Whole World Water to filter and bottle its own water, reducing plastic bottle usage. All of the funds raised through the sale of Whole World Water will be invested in clean and safe water projects all over the world.

To reduce energy consumption, Energy Star appliances have been purchased. These include refrigerators, other kitchen equipment, as well as televisions and computers. Efficient products, systems and equipment are expected to reduce the hotel’s energy consumption by 34 percent, reducing fossil fuel use and carbon emissions. Walls are highly insulated, high-performance windows have been installed, 70 percent of the hotel has LED lighting, daylight sensors are used where appropriate to reduce artificial lighting, and the house car is a Tesla Model S.

Housekeepers at the 100 percent nonsmoking hotel use Green Seal certified cleaning products. Other measures taken to ensure a high level of indoor air quality include the use of low toxin paints, sealants and adhesives.

Virgin Hotels has plans to open a second location in Nashville in the summer of 2016 and a third property in New York City in the fall of 2017. The team will announce two additional locations by the end of 2016, as well, with the brand hoping to have 20 locations by 2025.

Go to Virgin Hotels.

This article first appeared on the Green Lodging News website. To sign up to receive the weekly Green Lodging News newsletter, go to www.greenlodgingnews.com. Glenn Hasek can be reached at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.