Getting high in Davis

Davis is not exactly noted for a cityscape of high-rise buildings and tower blocks. In fact, it is pretty hard to find any building where you might have to contemplate using an elevator. The record for height currently belongs to Sproul Hall on the UC Davis campus (pictured below). This nine-storey building is as high as you can get in Davis (and for that matter Yolo county), but not for much longer.

Plans have now been submitted to the City Council for a new sculpture that would become the largest structure in Davis that you can ascend. The permanent artwork is titled 'Above the clouds' and will - if planning permission is granted - take the shape of a giant tree which will be more than double the height of Sproul Hall.

The central trunk would contain an elevator allowing visitors to ascend to a viewing level from which they would be granted a 200-mile view across the causeway to Sacramento and beyond. The designer of the sculpture (Gary Gunderson) says "Above the clouds will be a wistful, dreamy experience for the people of Davis. You will be able to literally ascend into the heavens and view the beauty of Davis and beyond from up high". The choice of the tree design is meant to reflect the prominent role of Davis on many green issues, and will also "symbolize the ever branching diversity of both Californian culture and cuisine".

The plans propose to site this sculpture in Central Park so that it will be a focal point for Davis and easily accessible by visitors. Should the team behind this sculpture get the go-ahead, work will start next summer and will take approximate 2 years to complete at a cost of over $3 million. The structure will be based on a mixed steel and concrete core, but the outside will be coated in rubber that is reclaimed from recycled car tires. 

Comments

[Darren]

Sproul Hall is definitely the tallest building on campus, but campus is not considered part of the city of Davis. So if we're talking about the tallest building in Davis, I think it would probably be Da Vinci Court Apartments in South Davis, which has four-story buildings.