A Chicago Landmark building andan icon to modern architecture,

330 North Wabash (also now known asAMA Plaza) is the largest, and last, Ameri-can building designed by world renownedarchitect Mies van der Rohe. A bust ofMies, by sculptor Marino Marini, is housedin the lobby, a tribute to the forward think-ing designer, whose architecture moves

forward in step with evolving technology.The AMA Plaza/330 North Wabash is

fifty two stories and at 695 feet (211.8 me-ters), the skyscraper is the second-tallestbuilding by Mies van der Rohe, (the tallestbeing the Toronto-Dominion Bank Tower).

The structure of AMA Plaza is steelframe with a concrete core. The exteriorfeatures a curtain wall of bronze anodized

aluminum and tinted glass. The largefloor-to-ceiling windows offer spectacular,panoramic views of the City, the ChicagoRiver and Lake Michigan.

Its location, at a turn in the ChicagoRiver, offers visibility from all directions -from Michigan Avenue, along the river,and from the major expressways. Theproperty is bordered by State Street on thewest, and Wabash Avenue on the east,Kinzie Street on the north and theChicago River on the south.

Entry plazas around the perimeter ofthe building provide easy access from allpoints for pedestrians, vehicles, publictransportation, and even marine vessels. Aspart of the Riverwalk, the building’s riverfrontage adjacent to the continuous River-walk winding its way through the heart ofChicago - a walk where tourists and busi-ness people alike can enjoy nature andChicago’s renowned architectural skyline.

Additional amenities include a hotel,cafeteria, fitness center, messenger center,building conference rooms, and courierservices. AMA Plaza features a state of theart fire & life safety system and is fullysprinklered. The HVAC system is a mod-ernized energy efficient variable air vol-ume system with unlimited zone control.The building is served by thirty-two (32)high-speed elevator cabs in three (4) zonesin addition to two (2) freight elevators andone (1) shuttle elevator. The hotel utilizeseight (8) of the elevators for their use.

Building Security features a securitydesk that is staffed 24 hours, 7 days perweek as well as video monitoring of all en-tries into the building by CCTV including,but not limited to, the interior and exte-rior of the Plaza Level, loading dock, andfreight areas and elevator cars.

An 890 stall parking structure is lo-cated across the north end of the Plaza areaat 401 North State Street and can be en-tered from State Street or Wabash Avenue.

Building History

The original developer and owner ofthe building was IBM Corporation, when

B u i l D i n g s & e n v i r o n M e n t s

2 C h i C a g o l a n d B u i l d i n g s & e n v i r o n m e n t s s p r i n g 2 0 1 5

B y M i c h a e l c . D a v i D s

AMA Plaza Offers Green Officeshistoric Building at 330 north Wabash is among Chicago’s most sustainable

Y Shown here is a group touring the green roof located atop the AMA Plaza.

the building was known as One IBM Plaza.IBM sold the building to the BlackstoneGroup in 1996. IBM all but completed itsmove out of IBM Plaza as of early 2006.Blackstone Group sold the building to thepredecessor company of Riverview RealtyPartners in 1999. In 2011, Riverview Re-alty Partners brought an affiliate of FiveMile Capital Partners into the ownershipstructure of the building as a joint venturepartner.

AMA Plaza has several design featuresthat are rare in an office building but under-standable given its original owner. Thebuilding’s electrical system, environmentalsystem, floor strength, and ceiling height(on certain floors) can support large “raisedfloor” computing centers. Also, the“banked” newly modernized and intelligentelevator system is a model of efficiency andrarely keeps anyone waiting for service.

In 2007, plans were announced toconvert floors two through thirteen of thefifty-two story building into a high-endhotel. The Langham Chicago was openedin 2013, occupying floors two throughthirteen. The building was declared aChicago Landmark on February 6, 2008and added to the National Register of His-toric Places on March 26, 2010. It is thenewest building in Chicago in terms ofage on both lists.

On December 9, 2011, the AmericanMedical Association announced it wouldmove its headquarters and entire work-force to 330 N. Wabash from its previousheadquarters on State Street. The move oc-curred in September 2013 and the build-ing was renamed AMA Plaza.

Building Management

AMA Plaza/330 North Wabash ismanaged by Riverview Realty Partners.Riverview is headquartered in Chicago,Illinois and is a fully integrated real estateoperating and development company,providing its own property management,leasing, marketing and development func-tions. Riverview is a wholly-owned affili-ate of Five Mile Capital Partners LLC(“Five Mile”), a Connecticut-based com-mercial real estate and alternative invest-ment firm. Riverview currently owns oneoffice property containing 167,756 netrentable square feet and a joint venture in-terest in the AMA Plaza office building inChicago, Illinois, comprising approxi-mately 1.14 million net rentable square

feet. Riverview leases and manages itsproperties, and also oversees (i) the assetmanagement, leasing and management ofvarious other properties for affiliates ofFive Mile, including a portfolio of fiveproperties containing 648,757 rentablesquare feet in the Cleveland, Ohio metro-politan area, a 30-story office tower con-taining 693,126 rentable square feet inMilwaukee, Wisconsin and a 20-story of-fice tower containing 439,645 rentablesquare feet in Houston, Texas, and (ii) the

asset management and property manage-ment of a 32-story office tower in Atlanta,Georgia containing 625,424 rentablesquare feet.

“Riverview Realty Partners is proud toalign itself with the best in 21st centuryenvironmental practices and policies. Fromreducing our emissions, to cutting excesslighting to installing state-of-the-art venti-lation — to switching to HEPA-compliantvacuum cleaners — we know a clean envi-ronment is more than good business. It’s

s p r i n g 2 0 1 5 C h i C a g o l a n d B u i l d i n g s & e n v i r o n m e n t s 3

c o v e r s t o r y

708.926.2304gsemmer@semmerlandscape.com

enhancinglandscapesfor life…

enhancinglandscapesfor life…• Landscape Maintenance• Landscape Design/Build• Landscape Construction• Seasonal Flower Rotations• Snow and Ice Control

B u i l D i n g s & e n v i r o n M e n t s

4 C h i C a g o l a n d B u i l d i n g s & e n v i r o n m e n t s s p r i n g 2 0 1 5

CHICAGOLAND’S LEADER IN WASTE, RECYCLING AND ROLL-OFF SERVICES

Contact us today to see what we can do for you.

773.685.8811LRSrecycles.com

the key to a viable future for us all,” says Susan Hammer, GeneralManager of AMA Plaza for Riverview Realty Partners.

Hammer leads a management team that consists of PropertyManager Courtney Stern, RPA, Tenant Services Coordinator Yor-danos Ghdey, Property Management Assistant Valerie Batts, Engi-neering Manager John Witkowski, Chief Engineer Jim Kyler, andSecurity Director Carl Reyes.

Community Action & Involvement is also an important partof Riverview Realty Partners’ management philosophy. “Just aseach one of our properties takes a signature stand in its commu-nity, our commitment to serve the surrounding community, aswell as the Chicago real estate community, continues to standstrong,” says Jeffrey Patterson, President and CEO.

“Similarly, Riverview Realty Partners feels that their efforts topromote public health are also an important part of their role inthe community. “As our donations to the American Heart Associa-tion, the Greater Chicago Food Depository and the Alzheimer’sSociety attest, we believe our good fortune is meaningful only tothe extent we can share it with others,” Patterson adds.

LEED Gold Certification

AMA Plaza has earned the U.S. Green Building Council’s(USGBC) LEED Gold Certification for Existing Buildings (EB) Opera-tions & Maintenance (O&M). LEED is USGBC’s leading rating sys-tem for designing and constructing the world’s greenest, most energyefficient and high-performing buildings. To achieve the LEED-EBO&M designation, buildings are evaluated on exterior site mainte-

Y AMA Plaza implemented a food composting program in October, 2013, available to all ten-ants and to the hotel. This is the first application of composting in a multi-tenant, multi-usebuilding in Chicago. Tenants can participate in the program by establishing a collection sitewithin their space and following a list of compostable items which is provided by the man-agement office along with educational courses which are available throughout the year. Atotal of six (6) tenants, 20% of total tenants, the building’s café and the hotel’s restaurantsparticipate in the composting program. AMA Plaza successfully diverted 20.64 tons of com-post in 2013 for the five months – annualized 50 tons or a 13% decrease in landfilled mate-rial. AMA Plaza also utilizes a commercial grade vermiculture composting container utilizingworms which eat a heterogeneous mixture of decomposing food or paper waste. The 40,000worms eat 5,200 pounds of café waste per year. Compost is then collected and used in thebuilding’s exterior landscaping as a high quality soil.

nance, waste stream management, energysavings, water efficiency, carbon dioxide(CO2) emissions reduction, indoor environ-mental quality, cleaning maintenance, stew-ardship of resources and sensitivity to theirimpacts. According to USGBC, the largestbuildings account for nearly 72 percent ofelectricity consumption and 30 percent ofwaste output nationally.

AMA Plaza applies a holistic approachto environmental sustainability by suc-cessfully integrating green practices intoall facets of the building management in-cluding tenant relations and operations.As part of RRP’s ongoing commitment togreening AMA Plaza, building manage-ment implemented a comprehensive sus-tainability program focused on thefollowing core elements:• A recycling program that enables AMA

Plaza to recycle 96 percent of all officepaper waste, 98 percent of newspaperwaste and 95 percent of all cardboardwaste, totaling more than 300 poundsof recycled material per person per year.

• Initiating a sustainable purchasing policythat focuses exclusively on utilizing low-volatility organic cleaning supplies andan assortment of recycled products tohelp improve the indoor air quality andreduce AMA Plaza’s carbon footprint.

• Deploying automation technology andenergy efficient lighting throughout thebuilding, as well as a state-of-the-artHVAC system on redeveloped floors tocurtail energy consumption and im-prove overall efficiency.

• Promoting the utilization of public trans-portation with daily shuttle service to andfrom Chicago’s commuter rail stations.The shuttle, which operates during rushhour, is used by several hundred of AMAPlaza’s building tenants each day, therebyreducing auto emissions and traffic con-gestion in the Central Business District.

• To ensure the success of its sustainabilityinitiatives, RRP placed a priority empha-sis on engaging and empowering AMAPlaza’s tenants to green their respectiveoperations, as well. To date, three ten-ants, Latham & Watkins, Perkins + Willand Thornton Tomasetti, have receivedLEED for commercial interiors (CI) des-ignation for their office space. Addition-ally, 100 percent of the building’stenants are actively participating inAMA Plaza’s recycling program.

• AMA Plaza’s General Manager, SusanHammer and Property Manager, Court-ney Farella are LEED® Accredited Profes-

sionals Operations & Maintenance. TheLEED® Accreditation distinguishes build-ing professionals with the knowledge andskills necessary to participate in the de-sign process, to support and encourageintegrated design, and to streamline theapplication and certification process forbuildings wishing to achieve a LEED®Certification. By achieving a passingscore on a rigorous and comprehensiveexamination, LEED® AP’s have demon-strated a thorough understanding ofgreen building practices and principles

and comprehensive knowledge of theLEED® Rating System.

Green Awards

AMA Plaza was awarded the 2014 Illi-nois Governor’s Sustainability Award. Thisaward is given to companies and organiza-tions that implement techniques or tech-nologies that reduce or eliminatepollutants, toxicity and other environ-mental impacts, including the amount ofand/or toxicity of pollutants that would

s p r i n g 2 0 1 5 C h i C a g o l a n d B u i l d i n g s & e n v i r o n m e n t s 5

c o v e r s t o r y

773-533-0477info@christywebber.com | www.christywebber.com

Right in your own backyard® Our Corporate Office

is Platinum LEED Certified

COMMERCIAL & MUNICIPAL » CONSTRUCTION / MAINTENANCE / ENHANCEMENTS / GREEN ROOFS / SNOW REMOVAL

6 C h i C a g o l a n d B u i l d i n g s & e n v i r o n m e n t s s p r i n g 2 0 1 5

B u i l D i n g s & e n v i r o n M e n t s

have otherwise been released into the en-vironment. The Governor’s award looks torecognize sustainability programs andprocesses such as raw material and solventsubstitution, preventive maintenance pro-grams, beneficial reuse of by-products,waste reduction and recycling, employeeengagement efforts, and comprehensiveenvironmental management systems orgoverning policies.

AMA Plaza was awarded the 2014Challenge Building Leader Award for hav-

ing the most building tenants participat-ing in the Chicago Green Office Chal-lenge. Hammer also received theExcellence in Property Manager Engage-ment award for the 2014 Chicago GreenOffice Challenge. They continue to sup-port and participate in the 2015 challengeand encourage other buildings and man-agers to participate as well.

AMA Plaza holds the IREM CertifiedSustainable Building Certification and wasthe first Chicago building to earn this

designation (2nd in the nation). This certi-fication is a mark of distinction for highperforming, sustainable buildings recog-nized by IREM’s internal community ofover 19,000 real estate professionals whoset the standard for best practices in realestate management.

IREM 2014 President Joseph Green-blatt, CPM commented, “We applaud theefforts of AMA Plaza’s management to se-cure our certification, knowing that italigns with their commitment to adopt the

Y Shown here accepting the 2014 Governor's Sustainability Award for AMA Plaza/330 N. Wabash Ave., L.L.C. and Riverview RealtyPartners is (L to R) Eric Heineman, Senior Sustainability Advisor, Governor's Office, Kevin O'Brien, Director, Illinois SustainableTechnology Center, Susan Hammer, General Manager of AMA Plaza and John Witkowski, Engineering Manager of AMA Plaza.

Westside Mechanical is one ofIllinois' leading HVAC systems and services contractors. Since 1970 Westside Mechanical has been servingChicagoland's expanded tri-state region,as well as selected national locations.

Installation, Maintenance & Service of HVAC Systems plus

AIR BALANCING * WATER BALANCING * PIPING * IAQ ANALYSIS

SHEET METAL FABRICATION * DESIGN/BUILD ENGINEERING

DDC AND PNEUMATIC CONTROLS * ENERGY MANAGEMENT ANALYSIS

. . . . . . ENERGY USE

BENCHMARKINGCOMPLIANCE. . . . . .

630-369-6690www.wsmech.com

Contact Jackie Loftis 630-618-0608 * jloftis@wsmech.com

Y Shown here is Yordanos Ghdey, Tenant Services Coordinator atAMA Plaza, accepting the IREM Sustainability Certificationaward from Ronald Gjerde, IREM Vice-President (national office)

s p r i n g 2 0 1 5 C h i C a g o l a n d B u i l d i n g s & e n v i r o n m e n t s 7

c o v e r s t o r y

Always THERE WHEN YOU NEED US!

847.468.0069www.ineedlifeline.com

RELIABLE & DEPENDABLE REPAIR, INSTALLATION & SERVICES:Plumbing, Heating & Air Condtioning | Water Heaters

Sewer Cleaning & Repair | Hot Water Drain Jetting

best in 21st century environmental prac-tices and policies. Clearly, we have a com-mon goal, which is to ensure the long-termviability of the precious and increasinglythreatened environment that we all share.”

“This certification is important to allstakeholders of the building and to the en-tire Chicago office marketplace,” offeredHammer. “Earning the IREM® CertifiedSustainable Property designation demon-strates our continued development of thebuilding’s sustainability profile.”

Riverview Realty Partners’ solid com-mitment to energy savings the past fewyears has resulted in some very impressiveresults that were noted in the IREM Sus-tainability Certification:» Reduced energy consumption, normaliz-

ing for occupancy and degree days by47% between 2012 and 2014. This led tosavings of 7,400,000 kwh and $633,347annually.

» Through installation of smart meters, en-gineers can monitor energy consumptionin real time in order to benchmark usageand monitor deviations in equipment.

» A robust composting program involveseight tenants and the hotel and resultsin diverting approximately 5,000 poundsof food waste monthly.

» More than 80%, or 11 tons of demol-ished tenant finishes were re-used duringthe renovation.

Hammer said keeping up to date onenergy saving technologies and innova-tions is a big challenge for commercialproperty managers today. “It’s importantthat managers constantly research sustain-able options in order to present the rightimprovement to owners at the right time,”she said. “And, we must continue to com-municate with and engage our stakehold-ers on the value behind these programs.”

The AMA Plaza team incorporated edu-cation contests and employs social mediaand media screens to engage both office ten-ants and the hotel in its sustainability efforts.

ENERGY STAR Designation

In addition to the LEED Gold Certifi-cation, the Governor’s SustainabilityAward, the IREM Sustainability Certifica-tion, and the Green Office Challenge

awards, AMA Plaza also holds the ENERGYSTAR designation.

ENERGY STAR certified buildings saveenergy, save money, and help protect theenvironment by generating fewer green-house gas emissions than typical build-ings. To be certified as ENERGY STAR, abuilding must meet strict energy perform-ance standards set by EPA.

Specifically, to be eligible for ENERGYSTAR certification, a building must earnan ENERGY STAR score of 75 or higher,indicating that it performs better than atleast 75 percent of similar buildings na-tionwide. Through Portfolio Manager,EPA delivers 1 – 100 ENERGY STAR scoresfor many types of buildings. The ENERGYSTAR score accounts for differences in op-erating conditions, regional weather data,and other important considerations.

Certification is given on an annualbasis, so a building must maintain itshigh performance to be certified year toyear. And the information submitted inthe certification application must be veri-fied by a licensed Professional Engineer(PE) or Registered Architect (RA) to be eli-

B u i l D i n g s & e n v i r o n M e n t s

8 C h i C a g o l a n d B u i l d i n g s & e n v i r o n m e n t s s p r i n g 2 0 1 5

gible for approval.

More on Green Cleaning & Recycling

AMA Plaza uses 100% post-consumerrecycled content paper products in thebuilding’s washrooms. AMA Plaza’s recy-cling contractor ships paper recycled at thebuilding to a mill in Wisconsin which thenturns the recycled paper into paper prod-ucts for the washrooms resulting in a 100%Closed Loop Recycling program. AMA Plazaprovides posters for more information onthe closed loop recycling process and recy-cling facts for tenants to post in their office.

Its extensive use of Low Volatile Or-ganic cleaning products and equipmenthave reduced the building’s carbon emis-sions by approximately 40,000 pounds peryear. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)are organic (carbon based) chemicals thathave a high vapor pressure at ordinary,room-temperature conditions. “Whenthey evaporate or easily get into the air,they can be harmful,” Hammer adds.

Green Transportation

The previously mentioned exclusive

shuttle service provided by AMA Plaza toand from the commuter train stations isnot the only environmentally friendlytransportation the building supports.Scooter parking is allowed on the northeastsection of the plaza. Signs are posted on therails east of the planters indicating the areawhere scooters can be parked. Bicycle racksare also stationed on the north plaza. A se-cured enclosure, consisting of 35 bicycleparking spaces, is available at the 401North State Street parking garage. The AMAPlaza parking garage has several Zip Cars(that can rented by the hour) available.

Green Roof

A vegetative roof was installed on the52nd floor roof of the building. The greenroof covers 50% of the available roof space,and consists of 6,400 square feet of sedummix plants which can withstand the harshconditions. An automatic control irriga-tion station equipped with wind and rainsensors regulates the water quantity andduration for the on-going health and sta-bility of the plants while conserving waterusage at the same time. The rooftop gar-

den is maintained by an outside green roofspecialist who also designed and installedthe system at AMA Plaza.

Green Leadership

Hammer and AMA Plaza have becomewidely known for their leadership in theChicago business community and amongprofessionals involved with green buildingsin the city. When asked how she became in-terested and passionate about sustainabilityefforts, Hammer responded, “I was in the(building management) business when evenrecycling in commercial properties was in itsinfancy. I managed one of the first buildingswhich initiated a tenant recycling programin Chicago, and that started an obsessionwith providing means to increase recyclingrates and to educate tenants. As the sustain-ability/energy conservation movementevolved, I moved along with it increasingmy own knowledge – not only in the manydifferent components of sustainability – butalso in understanding how to be creative incommunicating and educating tenants aswell as others in property management todrive results.” $