Two new additions to downtown

A recent Crain's article reported that upscale grocer Fox & Obel has signed a lease for the ground level commercial space at the new Greenway Self-Park. The parking garage at the corner of Clark & Kinzie incorporates several sustainable features in its design.



The article also reports a 49 story apartment tower is being planned for the southeast corner of Clark & Hubbard just north the Greenway Self-Park. Property records show the developer has signed a 100 year lease for the site and plans a 427-unit building.

New Marina Towers neighbor on the cutting edge of green.

If you live and/or work in the River North neighborhood, you may have noticed the construction work opposite the new office tower 353 North Clark. With so much building in the neighborhood, I almost missed this story in Green Bean Chicago. A large parking garage is being constructed on the northeast corner of Kinzie & Clark. This parking garage incorporates sustainable features and is called Greenway Self Park.

The most noticeable feature of the completed structure are the wind turbines on the southwest corner of the building. You can see those below.


The new garage also features the following:
- Natural ventilation
- Low-E glass to further reduce energy demand
- A green roof to combat heat
- A bike storage room for 2 dozen bikes
- Six plug-in stations for electric vehicles



I snapped a few construction photos while on my way to lunch from Marina City.








In the photo below, you will notice the pre-fabricated structure being delivered. Unlike an office tower, this parking garage is constructed in pre-fab sections that are delivered by truck and put into place by crane.



Below is a pre-fab piece being lifted.