2027 ASHRAE Winter Conference
January 23 - 27, 2027 | Chicago, IL

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CONFERENCE TOURS

Tickets for tours can be added while you register for the conference, or separately by selecting ‘Ticket Purchase Only’ on the registration page.

Tickets must be purchased in advance either online or at the registration desk located inside Grand Horizon AB on level 4 of the Marriot Marquis Chicago. If the tour of your choice is sold out, stand-by tickets may be available at the registration desk. Please see an ASHRAE staff member for more details.

Technical Tours

IIT Kaplan Building Student Tour | $30

📆Date: Sunday, January 24, 2027 | 1:30 to 5:00pm
📍Location: 3137 South Federal Street, IIT, Chicago, IL 60616
💡Meeting Location: Please meet the Host Committee at the Marriott Marquis entrance at 1:00pm. From there, you will ride a shuttle to the tour location.

The design for the Kaplan Institute is a thoughtful and sensitive contribution to IIT’s important architectural legacy yet is forward looking in its approach to the flexible and technologically advanced learning facilities needed today,” says Ronan.

According to Ronan, the design is also innovative in its own right, especially in its approach to sustainability. The second floor of the building, which cantilevers over the ground floor to provide sun shading, is enclosed in a dynamic façade of ETFE (Ethylene Tetrafluoroethylene) foil cushions, the first use of its kind in Chicago. The dynamic ETFE façade can vary the amount of solar energy entering the building through sophisticated pneumatics, and at one percent the weight of glass gives the building a light, cloud-like appearance.

Building systems are similarly advanced. Water-filled tubing embedded in a concrete-filled metal deck converts the building’s floor structure into a radiant heating and cooling system.

According to Bruce Watts, IIT’s vice president of facilities, “The goal of LEED Silver certification for the Kaplan Institute reflects IIT’s commitment to sustainability and is focused primarily on energy efficiency, abundant daylight and views, careful choice of materials, and easy access to four major public transit options.”

Located in the heart of IIT’s historic Mies Campus, the building’s location is intentional and designed to draw students and faculty in from all directions.

Vertical Flooded Heat Exchangers Marriott Marquis | $50

📆Date: Monday, January 25, 2027| 2:30 - 3:30pm
📍Location: Marriott Marquis and the Wintrust Arena
💡Meeting Location: Please meet the Host Committee at the Marriott Marquis entrance at 2:00pm. From there, you will walk to the tour location.

This new construction project was completed in September of 2017. The buildings are heated with hot water. The steam to hot water converters are powered by the central steam plant from McCormick Place. The original system consisted of conventional horizontal heat exchangers using high pressure steam (120 psi) directly with pressure motive pumps to return the condensate to the steam plant. Shortly after start-up the system experienced many issues with the major being severe water hammer due to flashing condensate and fluctuating condensate return pressures. The water hammer was violent enough to move the piping and dislodge anchors and break fittings. This was due to the use of high pressure / high temperature steam as the heat source. Typical systems reduce the steam pressure to 15 psi or less to avoids these issues and limit flashing. It was determined that installing vertical flooded heat exchangers using high pressure steam that sub-cool the condensate to a max temp of 190°F would solve the problem.

Chicago District Energy System Tour | $60

📆Date: Monday, January 25, 2027 | 3:00 - 4:00pm
📍Location: 137 South State Street, Chicago, IL 60606
💡Meeting Location: Please meet the Host Committee at the Marriott Marquis entrance at 2:30pm. From there, you will ride a shuttle to the tour location.

The CenTrio district cooling system in Chicago provides chilled water service to over 115 buildings in the Loop and adjacent neighborhoods. Five cooling plants serve the system through a common distribution network comprised of 8.5 trench miles of buried pipe.

Plant 1 (P1) is located at the corner of State and Adams Streets in downtown Chicago. The plant started commercial operation in 1995 and has received multiple upgrades in the years since. The plant has a total of 17,000 tons of peak chilled water capacity produced from four centrifugal chillers and a modular ice storage tank array with a capacity of 66,000 ton-hours.
The CenTrio district cooling system is 100% electrically driven using carbon free power. CenTrio appreciates the energy-water nexus and is using river water cooling at three of its plants to eliminate cooling tower water consumption. CenTrio is invested in their decarbonization strategy and is looking for new ways to secure a carbon free power supply and reduce their total carbon footprint.

Closed toed shoes are required, shorts and skirts are not recommended. Hearing protection and hard hats will be provided on site.

800 WFM | $60

📆Date: Monday, January 25, 2027| 3:00 - 4:30pm
📍Location: 800 Fulton Market
💡Meeting Location: Please meet the Host Committee at the Marriott Marquis entrance at 2:30pm. From there, you will ride a shuttle to the tour location.

Located in the heart of Chicago’s historic Fulton Market District, 800 West Fulton is one of the most unique buildings in the area. Built in 2021, the building is a 326 foot tall office building featuring multiple terraces and a rooftop amenity space. Upon completion, 800 West Fulton became well known as “Chicago’s Smartest Bulding” due to the innovative engineering and control strategies used to save energy. This tour highlights the advanced mechanical systems that make 800 West Fulton Fulton a leading example of smart, sustainable building design. Attendees will explore how the building achieves LEED Platinum and WELL Silver certifications through high-efficiency HVAC systems, smart building controls, advanced filtration, and a strong focus on indoor air quality and energy performance.

Loyola IES |$60

📆Date: Tuesday, January 26, 2027| 1:00 - 3:00pm
💡Meeting Location: Please meet the Host Committee at the Marriott Marquis entrance at 12:30pm. From there, you will ride a shuttle to the tour location.

Discover how complex building interaction drive this 216,000 sq. ft. higher education complex. This technical tour highlights the full conversion of an existing 1962 tower from legacy steam and air-cooled systems into an integrated, ultra-efficient facility featuring a new laboratory wing, a six-story dormitory addition, and a prominent research greenhouse with an active aquaponics system. Engineers will explore the mechanics behind its 56% energy cost reduction, focusing on a large vertical closed-loop geothermal plant installed directly underneath the new building footprint. The tour covers advanced air and hydronic strategies tailored for a mixed-use space, including a hybrid student-run biodiesel boiler loop, run-around heat recovery, ceiling-mounted active chilled beams, and an innovative cascading ventilation system.

2027 ASHRAE Winter ConferenceJanuary 23 - 27, 2027 | Chicago, IL

2027 ASHRAE Winter Conference
January 23 - 27, 2027 | Chicago, IL