Inspired by the architectural design of Frank Lloyd Wright, the Emory Conference Center Hotel (ECCH) has set a new benchmark for the hospitality industry in the Atlanta-metro area—recently becoming the first conference center/hotel in the area to achieve LEED Silver certification by the USGBC for its new addition to the property. The hotel and conference center, which is part of the Emory University campus, brings the total number of LEED-certified buildings on the campus to 13.
The building was rated LEED Silver for its sustainable components incorporated into the structure's design and construction. Those environmentally friendly elements include being a sustainable site, providing connectivity to alternative transportation, water efficiency, the recycling and reuse of building materials and resources, indoor environmental air quality, and innovation in design.
The new five-story structure connects to the existing building by a bridge and includes 127 new guest rooms, 6,000 square feet of additional meeting space, Wisteria Lanes—a six-lane bowling alley with retro décor that includes a full bar and game room—and a parking garage.
The Top Ten
- King Abdullah University of Science and Technology
- Democracy Now! Studios
- Herman Miller Showroom
- Group Goetz Architects
- The Benedictine Women of Madison's Holy Wisdom Monastery
- Alan B. Miller Hall at William and Mary
- Allsteel/Gunlocke Resource Center
- The Phoenix Companies Inc.
- Emory Conference Center Hotel
- Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital
Among the sustainable features that helped the project achieve LEED Silver are:
- Irrigation for landscaping is reduced by 50 percent
- Water usage is reduced by 31 percent
- Over all energy consumption has been reduced by 18 percent
- 50 percent of all construction waste has been recycled
- All paint and carpeting is made with low VOC materials
- New landscape provides a habitat for biodiversity
- When building the expansion, any tree that had to be removed was replaced with two new trees
The added guest rooms and meeting space means ECCH can offer a total of 325 guest rooms with six suites and 32,000 square feet of meeting space. The new space also consists of a ballroom, boardroom, and a technologically-advanced seminar room. Several lushly landscaped outdoor patio areas also have been added, including one with a fire pit.
As a member of the Green Hotels Association and only one of two properties in Georgia certified by Green Seal, ECCH had to meet rigorous environmental standards for U.S. lodging properties, including waste minimization, water and energy efficiency, and environmentally responsible purchasing. It also recently converted to a new food waste elimination system, began recycling its waste cooking oil into fuel, and introduced single stream recycling. Certification must be renewed annually, and ECCH has been certified since 2004.