A 35-foot tall "water tower" feature dominates both the exterior and interior of the single-story Victor Valley Water District Administrative Facility. Located in a high desert climate, this building has 12-inch-thick exterior walls with solid-grouted concrete masonry.

Thermal insulation is mounted on the interior walls, isolating the building's interior as much as possible from the effects of the extreme outdoor environment. The massive walls also result in a significant damping effect on the wide swings between day and night temperatures during the summer months. Once the desired space temperature is achieved, less energy is required to maintain conditions in both summer and winter.

The building also relies on a highly efficient indirect/direct evaporative cooling unit for space cooling. Although the building has a 20-ton direct expansion cooling unit for backup, it is rarely needed since the evaporative system meets the cooling load 98 percent of the time.