The additional feature will be installed as part of the $350 million retrofit which is planned by the owners of the tower. The plan intends to reduce electricity use of the structure by 80% over five years. With this objective, the building will receive upgrades to its glass exterior, internal lighting, heating, cooling and elevator systems, along with its own green power generation.
The tower features 4.5 million square feet of office and retail space, 16,000 windows and 104 elevators. The project, when completed, will be hailed as the most substantial green renovations ever tried on one site.
It is calculated that after the retrofit, energy savings at the Sears tower would be equal to 150,000 barrels of oil a year. There are also plans to open an info center on the first-floor to educate the public about the redesign.
The iconic tower was designed by Chicago-based architectural firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill in 1970, for Sears, Roebuck & Company. In March 2009, London-based insurance broker Willis Group Holdings agreed to lease a large portion of the building and as part of the agreement obtained the building’s naming rights. By late 2009 the building will be renamed Willis Tower.
