Built in 1984 and located in Davis, CA, Rifle Range, also referred to as the Energy Conservation Office, is a building that once served as an indoor rifle range. In 1999, the interior of the 1 story, 3,465 ft2 building was remodelled into an office space that is now home to UC Davis’ Energy and Engineering Team. The team’s mission is to improve building performance and eliminate energy waste at the building level to further UC Davis’ carbon neutrality goals and practice sustainable stewardship on campus.

Key features of the Energy Conservation Office that helped to earn the ‘Excellent’ rating:

• The Dedicated Outside Air System (DOAS) unit helps to circulate fresh air in and out of the building by using the temperature differences between the inside and outside air to pre-heat or pre-cool air that is coming in. It also has metering capabilities that improve the monitoring capability of the building’s energy usage and increases efficiency.

• Two skylights with remote-controlled adjustable shades to increase the availability of natural light and decrease the need for strong overhead lighting.

• 5,660 ft2 total planted area that includes low-maintenance plants such as moonshine yarrow, California fuchsia, blue sage and more.

The BREEAM In-Use scheme also allows for a strategic year-over-year sustainability benchmark. This facilitates a continuous improvement programme that incorporates risk management policies, best management practices and quantitative verification.