Green skyscraper, hotel coming to Chicago

The Sears Tower in Chicago, the country's largest skyscraper, will see a new hotel next door and changes in the coming years to make it more energy efficient.

By Source: The Chicago Tribune, Associated Press June 24, 2009

The Sears Tower in Chicago, the largest skyscraper in the country, will undergo an expansion and a makeover to make it more environmentally friendly in the coming years.

The $350 million renovations will include wind turbines, solar panels, and a green roof featuring grass, shrubs and potentially even trees at 110-stories high. A primary goal of the project is U.S. Green Building Council LEED certification , according to the Associated Press . It is expected the changes will take five years before completion.

Previously, building owners had attempted to cut energy costs by painting the building silver instead of black .

Next to the Sears Tower, the building owners plan on constructing a hotel that will also be beneficial to the environment. According to the Chicago Tribune , building owners claimed that the hotel will result in a net zero energy from the power grid and is also planning on being LEED certified.