'Green Exchange' To Cater to Eco-Friendly Businesses

Two entrepreneurs, David and Douglas Baum of Baum Realty Group, are converting an old lamp-making factory in Chicago's Logan Square neighborhood into an exchange building that will house only green-oriented businesses. The building itself, at one time home to the Frederick Cooper Lamp Co., is being revamped to attain LEED Silver certification.

Environmental features will include the use of natural light in tenants' lofts, a 9,000-sf courtyard area, a green roof, rainwater-collecting cisterns, energy-efficient windows and doors, eco-friendly paint and stains, and high-efficiency HVAC, water, and energy systems. Priority parking will be offered for hybrid cars and car-sharing services. Bike rooms and shower facilities for bicyclists will also be included.

Upon completion in a year or so, the 250,000-sf, four-story structure will have the capacity to house 100 retail and commercial tenants. Among those that have signed on: Consolidated Printing (environmentally conscious printing), GreenMaker Supply (green building materials), Performance Bike (bike retailer), Current Energy (energy cost cutting), and Distant Village Packaging (sustainable packing).