The renovation of Mrak Hall, the main administration building at the University of California, Davis, has received LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council—the 19th time the campus has earned the designation for its sustainable design efforts.

The university carried out energy- and water-saving retrofits on the 50-year-old facility.

“This certification of our main administration building sends a great message about our campus’s commitment to sustainability,” says Camille Kirk, interim assistant vice chancellor for the Office of Environmental Stewardship and Sustainability.

The university reduced water use by 27 percent, compared with similar buildings, by replacing older fixtures with more efficient equipment or low-cost modifications.

The retrofit project received 15 out of 18 points in LEED’s energy performance calculations, and scored 90 out of 100 for energy efficiency in the federal government's Energy Star program.

The LEED certification for Mrak Hall was enhanced by the school's adoption of LEED’s High-Performance Green Cleaning Program, which reduces harmful airborne contaminants.