Eastern Mennonite University

Cedarwood residence hall complete

NOTE: Because Cedarwood is a secure residence hall, the lobby is open to the public by scheduled appointment only. Please contact EMU Physical Plant at (540) 432-4390 to schedule your visit.


Watch a time-lapse video of construction.

EMU's new environmentally friendly residence hall Cedarwood now complete, housing both women and men on separate floors or pods.

The energy-efficient building meets basic LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification standards at a minimum.

"More than 85% of construction waste from the building site is being recycled," reports Eldon Kurtz, EMU physical plant director. "That's just one of many green features of this overall project that we're really proud of."

EMU's first LEED-certified building

Cedarwood will be EMU's first LEED-certified building. The U.S. Green Building Council manages the rating system. An interactive display inside the main lobby highlights the building's green features, sharing information about vendors and products for green building.

"Part of the emphasis of green building is creating a healthful environment for occupants," points out Kurtz. "This building will be an aesthetically pleasing community place that will have a lesser impact on this corner of creation, and, we hope, inspire others to consider green building options."

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Outer view of Cedarwood, EMU's new energy-efficient residence hall, in early August 2009

Some of the green features in the building include extensive use of natural lighting, flooring made of recycled and natural materials, a bioretention filtration system to manage rainwater runoff, a bike shed with a demonstration "green" roof, native landscaping, low flow water fixtures and much more.

This project is being made possible through collaboration with many partners, in particular Troyer Group, long-time architects for EMU based in Elkhart, Ind., and Harman Construction, Inc., of Harrisonburg. (Mast and Brunk Mechanical and Trumbo Electrical contractors have been involved in EMU projects since 1991).

Campus focus on sustainablity

The sustainability emphasis of Cedarwood fits with EMU's mission to "do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with God," (Micah 6:8) with each other and with creation. It's a place where students experience community as they prepare to serve and lead in a global context.

Other EMU sustainability initiatives include a campus garden that supplies the dining hall, a new meadow on the EMU hill, a creation care council composed of students, faculty and staff that meets regularly throughout the academic year. EMU also has a full-time recycling coordinator who guided EMU to win national recognition two years in a row for recycling efforts. Professors offer sustainability-focused courses such as green design and compost research and applications. The courses offer real-life results because students are able to take issues discussed in the classroom and apply them directly to the campus community.

New majors such as environmental sustainability and peacebuilding and development incorporate sustainable practices into real-life studies of the world and global community.

More about Cedarwood

Read more about the Oakwood demolition and the building of Cedarwood over the 2008-09 academic year:

published Aug. 6, 2009