Explorit Science Center

Second Street
Davis, California

Visible from the well-traveled I-80 freeway, the new Explorit building will look like a center for science discovery. The building actually is visible from five directions: north, west, south, east and up (by means of the Pelz over-crossing). The overall aesthetic is to create a playful, dynamic, edgy and urban design response that will contrast with the converted traditional looking former residence and modular buildings now used by the existing Science Center. The building is predominately clad with ribbed horizontal metal siding. Openings are punched through the metal skin and protected with horizontal sunscreens or recessed.

The most visible building frontage faces south towards the freeway and is short- only forty-two (42) feet wide. In order to maximize the ocular impact to the passing freeway traffic along Interstate 80, two eye-catching elements are prominent: 1) a tall cylindrical tower, and 2) an oversized whimsical working pendulum.

The tower skin is corrugated metal and copper colored. Windows glazed in colors of the visual spectrum spiral up the tower. At the apex, an angled roof plane with a skylight dramatically crowns the cylinder. The tower is a vertical monument and metaphorically acknowledges the agricultural history of Yolo County. The pendulum will reinforce the movement theme of the permanent exhibits inside and will slowly and methodically swing. Its whimsical design will appeal to children both small and fully-grown. This pendulum is envisioned as a commissioned art piece.