Emory University
IN-24: Innovation A

Emory University and Emory Healthcare, with 6.5 million square feet enrolled, is the largest participant in the Atlanta Better Buildings Challenge (ABBC), part of a national competition by the Department of Energy between cities to reduce energy and water consumption 20% by 2020. In 2015, Emory University enrolled 42 buildings of varying types, including administrative buildings, research centers, residence halls, libraries, hospitals, clinics, parking facilities, medical office buildings, labs, and dining halls. Emory’s strategies to reduce energy and water consumption in these buildings include more efficient lighting, heating, and cooling, and engagement of building occupants and visitors in behavior change. Emory’s Translational Testing and Training Labs in Midtown joined the challenge in 2014 and has decreased energy use by 44 percent since 2011, and the Emory University Hospital Midtown Summit Parking Deck joined the Challenge in 2011 and has reduced energy consumption by 32 percent since 2009.

The Atlanta Better Buildings Challenge recognized 34 Emory University and Healthcare buildings as “Top Performers” in energy and water conservation. Twenty-six Emory University and Healthcare buildings were noted as “Top Performers” in energy savings and 26 were recognized as “Top Performers” in water savings, meaning they reduced energy or water consumption by at least 17 percent since their baseline year. Emory’s WaterHub, recognized as a “Game Changer” for its innovative water conservation technology, collects storm water and sewage water from parts of the Emory and Centers for Disease Control campuses and cleans it through engineered technologies that utilize biomimicry, imitating natural processes.