Chicago River will help cool Hyatt Regency hotel

As part of an extensive renovation and expansion planned for the Hyatt Regency hotel’s lower levels, the design team, led by Gensler, is designing a geothermal system that will use the Chicago River to help cool the building in the summer months. The green approach ties closely with the project’s overall goal—form a closer relationship with the river and the surrounding urban fabric. The hotel’s Wacker Drive façade will incorporate wind turbines and a “living wall” fitted with vegetation.