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Southern Methodist University opened its new $16 million Embrey Engineering Building in Dallas for the fall semester of 2006. Through sustainable design technologies, the three-story facility will save approximately $70,000 annually in energy costs and will seek LEED® Gold level certification. The cost of meeting the LEED® criteria added three percent to the project's construction cost. Sustainable design features of the engineering facility include: 

• Flushless urinals that save 40,000 gallons of water a year
• Larger windows and skylights for use of natural light
• Sensor activated lighting in offices, hallways, and classrooms
• 75 percent of construction debris recycled
• Materials came from within 500 miles of campus
• Non- or low-emitting carpets and paints
• Laboratory cabinetry constructed from wheat
• Cloth dividers between work stations made from corn
• A $1 million campuswide HVAC system upgrade