California Department of Education HQ – Block 225: Sacramento, CA
California's Valedictorian

The California Department of Education Headquarters, built in 2002, raised the bar for sustainable building practices in California. It is the first state office building to incorporate an underfloor air-distribution system and is the state's first design-build office building. Sustainable practices used during construction are now part of the state's green building manual. At least 25% of the building includes recycled materials, including the lobby marble flooring, which was salvaged from the Library & Courts Building, circa 1923.