The California Air Resources Board will host an open house of its new state-of-the-art “green” Southern California Headquarters, the Mary D. Nichols Campus, in Riverside on Saturday, May 21.

The public is invited to tour the facility from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. as well as enjoy an electric zero-emission car “Ride and Drive,” interactive booths, a display of zero-emission trucks and buses and the largest art collection dedicated to air quality.

The event will be held at the California Air Resources Board Southern California Headquarters Mary D. Nichols Campus, 4001 Iowa Ave., Riverside, CA 92507.

Public parking will be located at University of California, Riverside’s Lot 30 at 900 Martin Luther King Blvd., Riverside. A zero-emission shuttle will be provided to and from the event.

This world-class facility houses the newest advanced vehicle emissions testing laboratory in the world. The new headquarters and laboratory will enable the Air Resources Board to continue its globally recognized research and achievements in reducing air pollution and fighting climate change over the coming decades.

It is also an award-winning green building of the future and has earned environmental and sustainability accolades. The 19-acre campus offers emissions testing capabilities for cars, trucks and buses, motorcycles, small off-road engines and marine engines; an advanced chemistry lab; a 250-person auditorium; a media center; administrative space for 460 employees and the largest public artwork collection focused on air quality and climate change.

The new facility replaces the aging Haagen-Smit Laboratory in El Monte that served the Air Resources Board for nearly 50 years. Advancements like the catalytic converter and the On-Board Diagnostic (Check Engine Light) system found on today’s vehicles were pioneered at that facility.

The Air Resources Board’s new lab will be one of the premier vehicle emissions testing facilities in the world. It is equipped with the latest equipment to effectively serve current and future research and testing needs, and support continued leadership in reducing emissions, providing cleaner air for public health and tackling climate change. With vehicle technologies rapidly changing, it can also accommodate new test methods for future generations of vehicles and ensure emissions compliance with increasingly stringent standards.

The new lab will accommodate testing for passenger cars, motorcycles, trucks and buses, lawn and garden equipment, small off-road engines and marine engines. A separate advanced chemistry laboratory allows researchers to carry out precise and accurate testing of vehicle fuels and evaporative analysis.

Sustainability drove the striking design and every detail of the campus. The facility achieves Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Platinum certification, meets or exceeds California Green Building Standards Code Tier 2 standards and is designed to meet zero net-energy performance.

At 402,000 square feet, including high energy usage laboratories, it is designed to be the largest zero net-energy building in the United States. To achieve the highest levels of sustainability, the facility includes energy-saving methods such as chilled beam HVAC in the office areas; a building management system that monitors the building’s vital operations for problems and to maintain its “green” efficiency and solar arrays throughout to supply at least 3.5 megawatts of electricity, among numerous other features.

The Air Resources Board is the lead agency for California’s fight against climate change and oversees all air pollution control efforts in the state to attain and maintain health-based air quality standards.