We want to take a moment to say thank you to everyone who contributed to making our 2023 a success; we're looking forward to continued connections, collaborations and growth in 2024. In closing out the year, we’d like to highlight the achievements of the Cyclone team and our clients. Between our simulation, sustainability and commissioning teams we had our largest single year growth ever, adding seven new team members in 2023. This has greatly impacted our collective team experience:
We expanded our services adding several new offerings to support our client needs, including:
Building Envelope Commissioning
Blower Door Testing
Decarbonization and Electrification Roadmapping and Master Planning
Embodied Carbon Life Cycle Analysis (LCA)
International Living Futures Institute (ILFI) Volume Audits
Indoor Air Quality Testing for LEED and WELL
WELL Performance Verification
Zero Carbon Building Analysis
In September we held our 8th Annual Innovation Rodeo at the Old Post Office in Chicago. Our speakers covered emerging policies around decarbonization and building performance standards as well as master planning new and existing buildings for electrification. We looked at risks associated with architecture and engineering firms using Artificial Intelligence. Attendees learned how to build a more empowering, engaging and actionable climate action plan (CAP) by leveraging data visualization. We explored ASHRAE's New Standard 241 and how it provides detailed guidance into the design, commissioning, operation and maintenance of building systems for the control of infectious aerosols. Illinois Green Alliance gave us an overview of their new Building Energy Resource Hub initiative. And back by popular demand, a PechaKucha style presentation that questions whether or not we can get to net zero without nuclear energy.If you weren’t able to attend this year, you can find all of the presentations on our YouTube channel. Mark your calendar for our 9th Annual Innovation Rodeo to be held September 11, 2024.
To close out the year, we had our Annual Day of Service in December and were able to volunteer in person for the first time since 2019. Volunteering at the Greater Chicago Food Depository we participated in a group repacking session, taking the food received in bulk quantity at the warehouse and breaking it down into manageable sizes to be able to distribute to participating food pantries, soup kitchens and shelters in Cook County. All totaled, our group repacked 17,772 lbs. of apples, potatoes and peppers, which will provide 14,809 meals to feed Chicago’s food insecure community.
These are just a few of our highlights from last year, more notable achievements are listed below. We wish all of you a very happy, healthy and prosperous 2024! 2023 Notable Achievements Project Awards
McDonald’s Global Flagship-Buena Vista received an ASHRAE Technology Award in the category of New Commercial Building and was featured in the ASHRAE Journal in July 2023
One South Wacker won the BOMA International TOBY (The Outstanding Building of the Year) Award
Elmhurst University New Chiller Plant/Boiler Decentralization project won the Illinois ASHRAE Technology Award
Two clients, KeHE Dallas and Iron Giant, were named as finalists for the USGBC South Central Awards
Cyclone Company Achievements
Cyclone was shortlisted again this year in the category of Building Consultancy of the Year for the 2024 CIBSE Building Performance awards which will be announced on February 29th
The Cyclone Simulation Team has been chosen to lead the development of the groundbreaking national energy modeler qualification framework for IBPSA
Our Energy Engineer Team was awarded the ComEd Clutch Performer 2023 for securing verified savings by the program year end
Cyclone was accepted as a National Grid RTEM/EMBCx Program Service/System Provider
Cyclone was accepted as a Participating Contractor for the Georgia Power Commercial Energy Efficiency Program
In 2023 Cyclone presented Energy Code Updates to over 350 architects in Chicago and surrounding areas through a series of Lunch and Learn events
Cyclone Team Achievements
David Lippe was named the BOMA/Chicago 2023 Gold Circle Award Affiliate of the Year and received two ASHRAE Region VI Chapter awards: Chapter Service and The Presidential Award of Excellence
Allen Mei was appointed to the IBPSA-USA Board of Directors, he became a voting member of IBPSA-USA’s Certification Committee and later led the development of modeler qualification framework and was an invited reviewer for six DOE projects
Ian O’Connor was named as one of Consulting-Specifying Engineer Magazine’s 40 Under 40 award recipients and earned Infiltration & Duct Leakage certification
Frank Kohout was a contributing author for the new ASHRAE Design Guide for Commercial Kitchen Ventilation, which debuted at the annual conference this year
Kate Bren won the Project Stasio Annual Challenge, was appointed to the City of Austin Resource Management Commission and passed her PE exam
Sumayyah Theron became a voting member for ASHRAE Technical Committee 2.8: Building Environmental Impacts and Sustainability; was an editor for the new ASHRAE Green Guide: Design, Construction, and Operation of Sustainable Buildings; is serving as the vice chair for the upcoming ASHRAE winter conference in Chicago and is co-chairing the student’s activities for the ASHRAE IL-chapter for this presidential year; was elected to the Board of Directors for Illinois Green Alliance and earned the 2023 Advocacy Ambassador Award from the GBI
Jed Starner became a certified Energy Management Professional (EMP)
Vinit Gala passed the P.E. Mechanical: HVAC and Refrigeration exam
Jason Sippel passed the Fundamentals of Engineering exam, completed the training and exam to be a National Green Building Standard (NGBS) Verifier, earned his CxA-BE certification and passed the FL Licensed General Contractor Exam
Emmy Riley was appointed to the Illinois Green Alliance Building Energy Resource Hub Advisory Board
Mary Anderson was promoted to Sustainability Analyst
Kate Bren was promoted to Performance Consultant
Vinit Gala was promoted to Senior Building Analyst
Utility Incentives
Total Incentives for Retro-Commissioning (RCx) and Monitoring-Based Commissioning (MBCx)/MBCX reached nearly $600,000 and counting with total electric savings exceeding 2,500,000 kWh (~$200,000) and 50,000 therms annually
The Elmhurst University chiller and boiler projects exceeded $750,000 in incentives
Retro-Commissioning and Monitoring-Based Commissioning
Cyclone won the ComEd Business Development Expert Award for submitting the most approved project applications
Project Certifications
LEED Platinum
Allstate Insurance - Chicago
LinkedIn Toronto
LEED Gold
DePaul School of Music
Cascade Apartments
The Reed
LEED Silver
237 N Aberdeen
Helen of Troy Tennessee DC
Heartland BTS
S&C Electric Palatine
Penske Logistics Avondale
Intermodal Logistics Center Building 2
Sterling Bay
LEED Certified
KeHE Dallas
Medline Mebane Distribution Center
Monarch O’Hare
Penske Leasing Akron
Penske Leasing Greenville
Green Globes - Three
The Row Fulton Market
Green Globes - Two
300 N Michigan
513 S Damon
1454 W Randolph
NGSB Bronze
Downers Grove
Albion at Renaissance Place
WELL Gold
Uber at The Old Post Office
Notable Projects
Albion in the Gulch - Albion Residential
Artisan Cleveland - White Oak Realty Partners
DHL New Distribution Centers Decarbonization and Solar Studies
Greater Chicago Food Depository - Phase II Expansion
Group14 BAM-2 - World’s Largest Silicon Battery Materials Factory
Helen of Troy Tennessee Distribution Center, LEED Silver on a 2M SF building
Hines / Ivanhoe Cambridge - Chicago Office Portfolio Decarbonization Roadmap
Noyes Cultural Arts Center (Evanston) Decarbonization Study
One Chicago - JDL
Penske Logistics Avondale - Penske’s first ever LEED Certified building
Pritzker Military Archives Center
The Reed - Lendlease
The Row Fulton Market - Related Midwest
Willis Tower Skydeck
Energy Modeling
115 building simulation projects, including high-rise multifamily and offices, industrial logistic distribution centers, manufacturing, sports complexes and cold storage
Our projects varied in size from a small car wash facility to a 75-story tall high-rise and 1M sqft+ industrial facilities
Our simulation analytics included architecture and MEP design assistance, decarbonization road mapping, existing building calibration, daylight and glare, condensation risk assessment, geo-exchange, renewable energy production, code compliance, LEED Volume Prototype, and certification, incentive, and tax deduction modeling
Commissioning
Delivered the first high-rise residential tower in Chicago performing blower door envelope commissioning
Provided envelope commissioning using cyFLY (drone) and other technologies on projects throughout the United States
WELL Performance Verification
Verified one of the first projects under the v2 rating system in Chicago
airPLAN
6.5 Million SF of commercial and multifamily buildings being monitored
energyPLAN
Over 5 Million SF of commercial and multifamily buildings benefiting from energy reduction through continuous planning
For inquiries or additional information on any of our services visit cyclone.energy or email at workwithus@cyclone.energy
