Newsroom

Embrey Building Receives 2006
Excellence in Higher Education Award

DALLAS (SMU) — The J. Lindsay Embrey Building at Southern Methodist University, the first university building in Texas built for gold-level LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification, is the recipient of a 2006 Excellence in Higher Education Award from Texas Construction magazine.

Texas Construction annually recognizes design and construction excellent in Texas. An independent jury of industry experts determined the 65 winners in various categories, who will be featured in the magazine’s December issue.

Dedicated Sept. 8, the Embrey Building houses the Mechanical Engineering Department and the Environmental and Civil Engineering Department in SMU's School of Engineering.

To reduce energy costs while also reducing the impact on the environment, SMU built the Embrey Building to meet standards for LEED certification at the gold level. The building will save the University an estimated 30 percent in energy, water, and maintenance costs annually in comparison with a non-LEED building.

The 56,700-square-foot building contains classrooms, laboratories, research facilities, and faculty offices. It includes more than 30 miles of data wiring, two distinct water systems, and the latest in high-tech research equipment. To comply with LEED standards, nearly all of the building materials came from within a 500-mile radius of SMU, and more than 75 percent of the construction waste was recycled rather than ending up in a landfill.

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