EMBREY
ENGINEERING BUILDING AT SOUTHERN METHODIST UNIVERSITY CERTIFIED LEED
GOLD
Build by Turner Construction, SMU’s Embrey
Engineering Building is the first LEED-certified collegiate academic
facility in Texas and one of the first in the U.S.
DALLAS, February 1, 2008 –
The U.S. Green Building Council has awarded Southern
Methodist University’s (SMU) Embrey Engineering Building with a
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for New Construction (LEED-NC)
certification at the Gold level, making it the only collegiate
academic building in Texas and one of the first in the United States
to achieve such standards.
Built by Turner Construction and designed by Hahnfeld
Hoffer Stanford to meet LEED standards when it opened in 2006, the
building’s Gold certification confirms that it excels in sustainable
site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials
selection, indoor environmental quality and innovative design.
Building the Embrey building to LEED standards increased
construction costs by a mere 2-3 percent, but the University saves
an estimated $70,000 a year in energy costs.
SMU uses Collegiate Georgian architecture exclusively
in its buildings, so the project team worked diligently to retain
these traditional elements while incorporating sustainable fixtures
and practices. The Embrey building features a traditional, red brick
façade, small narrow windows, a slate roof, and cast stone and
masonry exteriors. Nearly all of the building materials for the
Embrey building came from within a 500-mile radius, meaning less
carbon-based fuel was produced in transporting those materials, and
75 percent of the construction waste was recycled. The building uses
recycled water from the university’s HVAC system and features
waterless urinals in the men’s restrooms, each saving about 45,000
gallons of water a year. The building also captures an abundance of
natural light, reducing the need for artificial light during normal
business.
Other factors that contribute to its LEED Gold
certification include:
·
A three-story light column funnels natural light into
the interior.
·
The lighting system is run by motion detectors.
·
High reflective pavers (with marble chips) reflect
heat from the building for cooling.
·
Rainwater is captured and held in a tank across the
street.
·
The landscaping utilizes natural pesticides rather
than poisons, and includes drought-tolerant plants.
·
An information kiosk provides information on
sustainable building and real-time building stats on building
temperature and power usage.
·
All lumber came with Chain of Custody Certificates,
which means it was grown in certified forests.
ABOUT
TURNER CONSTRUCTION
Turner
is the leading general builder in the U.S., ranking first or second
in the major segments of the building construction field. During
2006, Turner completed $8.4 billion of construction. Founded in
1902, Turner is the only builder offering clients a nationwide
network, with 46 offices across the U.S. For more information, visit
Turner's website at
www.turnerconstruction.com.
ABOUT
SOUTHERN METHODIST UNIVERSITY:
Founded in 1911 by what is now The United Methodist Church, Southern
Methodist University (SMU) is nonsectarian in its teaching and
committed to academic freedom and open inquiry. A private
university, SMU cultivates well-rounded leaders and thinkers through
a liberal arts foundation and nationally competitive undergraduate,
graduate, and professional programs. SMU offers seven
degree-granting schools – including the nationally acclaimed Cox
School of Business and Dedman School of Law – and is consistently
ranked in the top half of national universities, according to
America's Best Colleges guide. For more information, visit the
Southern Methodist University website at http://
www.smu.edu.
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