Hyatt Place Chicago-South Earns LEED Gold Certification

PORTLAND, Maine—The Olympia Companies and SMART Hotels LLC have announced that Hyatt Place Chicago-South/University Medical Center in Chicago’s iconic Hyde Park neighborhood has been awarded LEED Gold Certification by the US Green Building Council (USGBC) in the New Construction category.

The hotel is the first Hyatt Place in the world to be LEED Gold certified. The property was designed by Legat Architects, one of the leading green design firms in the Midwest, and built by William A. Randolph Construction Company.

The Olympia Companies, an innovative privately-owned real estate company specializing in hotel investment, development, and management, partnered with SMART Hotels LLC to develop the 131-room Hyatt Place Chicago-South/University Medical Center.

“This certification from USGBC is a reflection of our ongoing commitment to the Hyde Park community and the city of Chicago,” said Mike Zimmerman, vice president of development at The Olympia Companies, which also manages the property. “Providing a sustainable, environmentally sensitive hotel facility is good for our guests, our employees and our neighbors. We are thrilled to be able to share this news with them all.”

SMART Hotels develops hotels and mixed-use projects at prominent university and medical center campuses. SMART is committed to environmental sustainability and is a USGBC member. Its projects include the LEED Platinum-designed Peter B. Lewis Gateway Center at Oberlin College scheduled to open early in 2016.

LEED certification is recognized across the globe as the premier mark of achievement in green building. The Hyatt Place Chicago-South/University Medical Center achieved LEED Gold status thanks to the smart design and building choices including: high efficiency LED lighting in the public areas of the hotel; low flow plumbing fixtures that reduce water use; an energy recovery vehicle that captures heat from the building and uses it to pre-heat the fresh air supplied to the building; a 100 percent green roof that reduces storm water runoff and improves building insulation; high insulation; preferred parking for hybrid and electric vehicles; and bike parking and showers for employees.

Closely affiliated with the University of Chicago, the Hyatt Place Chicago-South was built as part of Harper Court, a multi-use complex certified LEED Gold ND as one of the country’s most sustainable neighborhood development projects. It is the first new hotel in the Hyde Park neighborhood in more than half a century and has brought much-needed employment to the area. More than 80 percent of the hires were local residents who were trained by The Olympia Companies.