The newly expanded student recreation center at University of California, Riverside, has received LEED Gold certification for its sustainable design and construction.

The $35 million project, which was completed last fall, consists of a new two-story, 80,000-square-foot building and 9,000 square feet of renovated space.

The expansion was needed to accommodate the growing demand for fitness and recreational activities. The original student recreation center was built in 1994 for a student population of 11,000; enrollment in 2015 was about 22,000.

Amenities in the expanded facility include a 21,000-square-foot, two-story weight room, more than 100 cardio machines, a wide array of fitness and recreation classes, a 237,000-gallon swimming pool, courts for basketball, volleyball and badminton, and a 32-foot climbing wall.

Building orientation and other design strategies enable the facility to capture daylight to illuminate the center and reduce the demand on cooling systems. When proposed, the project was aiming for LEED Silver rating, but the completed facility earned enough LEED points to qualify for a Gold certification.

The architect was Cannon Design and the builder was C.W. Driver.