Owners of high-rise buildings in Chicago will have to dig deep into their maintenance pockets to comply with new fire-safety laws.

A local ordinance adopted Dec. 15 requires offices 80 ft or taller and built prior to 1975 to have automatic sprinklers by Jan. 1, 2017. Billed by lawmakers as a "balance" between safety and economics, the new law mandates changes across one-third of all floor space by year-end 2008 (ENR 12/20 p. 15).

Total costs are unknown as owners tabulate projections. One trade group says that upgrading an estimated 35 million sq ft of unsprinklered high-rise office space in Chicago could cost up to $640 million. That includes asbestos cleanup for 17 million sq ft, according to Michael F. Cornicelli, government affairs director for the Building Owners and Managers Association of Chicago.

The ordinance potentially affects more than 80 office towers. But about one-quarter is exempt from the sprinkler requirement because the city recognizes the buildings as "landmark" structures. Still, these owners must hire an engineer to conduct a "life safety evaluation" by Jan. 1, 2006, the ordinance states.

Also required for residential high-rises, the building reviews will test safety features against a city standard. In some cases, sprinklers "may be the only way to achieve a passing score," Cornicelli says. All retrofits needed to pass the test must be completed by Jan. 1, 2012.