Chicago’s Sears Tower was built in 1973, in a time when energy efficiency was not a key building strategy.  Instead, the building’s claim to fame was that it was the tallest building in the world.  Now the owners of the building are planning to make some energy efficient upgrades to the building.

 

In a piece on CNN’s "The Situation Room," correspondent Susan Roesgen reports:

"The owners of the Sears Tower don't want to tip their hand yet, but we learned that the preliminary plans call for letting in more natural light, installing solar panels and wind turbines, planting gardens on the buildings' small balconies. The owners may decide to change the black exterior to reflect heat and cut down on air conditioning.” Source: CNN

Retrofitting a skyscraper of this size is a massive project, but I think we will see more of these types of upgrades in the future.