The Oxford Road Building has been awarded a Gold level LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification by the United States Green Building Council. The prestigious award brings the total number of LEED certified buildings on Emory’s campus to 20.

Oxford Road Building

Opened in 2010, the Oxford Road Building houses the undergraduate admissions offices, Starbucks coffee and the Barnes & Noble bookstore.  

"The Oxford Road Building was built as a new front door to Emory’s campus," says Al Herzog, project manager in Planning, Design and Construction. "This building is a great addition and we’re extremely pleased that we received the highest certification possible."  

A national program for design, construction and operation of environmentally efficient buildings, LEED standards promote building design practices that conserve energy, water and the project site's natural environment.  

Buildings with LEED distinction also have a percentage of materials that are recycled, renewable or locally sourced.  

According to Herzog, the building was initially expected to certify as LEED Silver, but because of the quality of the responses to the project, Gold certification was awarded.  

"There are five major categories projects can submit for LEED credits and we submitted 39 credits within those categories, which allowed us to achieve LEED Gold," explains Herzog.  

Emory's Board of Trustees endorsed LEED in 2002 for use as a guiding principle in the development of all the University's construction and renovation projects.