SAIC to conduct feasibility study on implementing renewable
energy technology
CHICAGO, Aug. 27,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The School
of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), a global leader in
art and design education, has been awarded a $50,000 climate grant from the Helen
Frankenthaler Foundation. The School will use the funds to
commission a study to evaluate the feasibility of implementing
renewable clean heating and cooling technology in two historic
campus buildings on Michigan Avenue. SAIC has long been committed
to sustainability through a variety of efforts, including energy
conservation and waste diversion. Improving the energy efficiency
of campus buildings plays a critical part in reducing greenhouse
gas emissions.
"We currently use carbon by way of natural gas to heat our
buildings," said SAIC Vice President for Campus Operations
Tom Buechele. "The grant will help
us see if it's possible to update our system to use geothermal
heating and cooling. Geothermal technology is much better for the
environment; it would lower our carbon footprint and ultimately be
less expensive for us to operate."
Geothermal technology is known as the most cost-effective and
environmentally friendly HVAC and water-heating system available.
Such systems are proven to reduce energy costs by up to 50 percent
and produce zero direct emissions that contribute to air pollution
and climate change. However, the technology has never before been
implemented in buildings in downtown Chicago.
"Installing a geothermal system requires drilling down to the
geothermal energy source," Buechele said. "Drilling in a park or
other open space—as Chicago has
done elsewhere in the city—is easy. But it hasn't been done in such
a densely developed area like the Loop where we don't have the
option of drilling in an open space. Instead, we would be drilling
below 100+-year-old buildings. So, we're eager to know if it's
possible, and environmental experts will obviously be interested in
the results of our study as well, to see if this can work
elsewhere."
The study will focus on the feasibility of implementing
geothermal heating/cooling technology in two SAIC-owned buildings:
the Lakeview Building at 116 S. Michigan and the MacLean Building
at 112 S. Michigan. (The adjacent buildings are connected by a 14th
floor walkway.) Located directly across from the Art Institute of
Chicago museum, the buildings are
a central hub for the SAIC community, which serves more than 3,500
students each year. Over the years, both buildings have undergone
numerous expansions, and each now rises to an impressive height of
approximately 17 stories, collectively encompassing a vast 327,000
square feet. Depending on study results, the cost savings and
environmental benefits of installing a geothermal heating/cooling
system in the buildings could be substantial. It would also be a
model first-of-its-kind project for the city of Chicago.
The SAIC climate grant is part of the Helen Frankenthaler
Foundation's gift of $3.3 million to
69 visual arts organizations across the US to help them make
energy-efficient upgrades, from adding solar panels and changing
the lighting in their buildings to auditing their overall energy
use and creating plans for achieving carbon neutrality.
About the School of the Art Institute of
Chicago
For more than 155 years, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago
(SAIC) has been a leader in educating the world's most
influential artists, designers and scholars. Located in downtown
Chicago, with a fine arts graduate
program ranked number two in the nation by U.S. News and World
Report, SAIC provides an interdisciplinary approach to art and
design as well as world-class resources, including the Art
Institute of Chicago museum,
on-campus galleries and state-of-the-art facilities. SAIC's
undergraduate, graduate and post-baccalaureate students have
the freedom to take risks and create the bold ideas that transform
Chicago and the world, and adults,
teens and kids in our Continuing Studies classes have the
opportunity to explore their creative sides, build portfolios and
advance their skills. Notable alumni and faculty include
Georgia O'Keeffe, Nick Cave, David
Sedaris, Cynthia Rowley,
Michelle Grabner, Richard Hunt, Apichatpong Weerasethakul and
Jeff Koons.
About the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation:
The Helen
Frankenthaler Foundation supports the artist's legacy through a
variety of initiatives, including exhibitions, loans of artworks,
research and publications, conservation, grants, educational
programs for the public and the scholarly community and the
publishing of a catalogue raisonné. It is dedicated to promoting
greater public interest in and understanding of the visual arts.
Established and endowed by the artist during her lifetime
(1928-2011), the Foundation became active in 2013, on the closing
of Frankenthaler's estate. As the principal beneficiary of
Frankenthaler's estate, the Foundation maintains an extensive
collection of her work in a variety of mediums, as well as her
collection of works by other artists and original papers and
materials pertaining to her life and work.
Media Contact:
Laura
Bissett
myWHY Agency
laura@mywhyagency.com
434-566-9093
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SOURCE School of the Art Institute of
Chicago