The Alumni and Visitors Center building is the first major project of the Master Plan for the Southern Expansion of the University of California at Davis campus. It was important that the building establish a strong presence.

The 21,000 square feet new Center functions as the new gateway to the campus and to the Lake District. The building brings together the Alumni Association, Campus Recruiting and international visitors and campus tours programs.

The strong symmetry of the building's two simple forms joined by a 3 story tower creates a bold first impression for visitors to the campus. While clearly modern, the Center honors the vernacular agricultural roots of the University with a long, stone arcade topped by a wooden trellis that unifies the building's forms and gives it scale.

An adjacent octagonal special programs room for conferences, weddings, and exhibitions departs from the established symmetry and marks the prominent corner location.

The front facade is more formal, recalling architectural elements and a scale more commonly associated with civic architecture. The back is freer, an intimate setting for weddings and conference meetings, taking its cue from the natural environment of the Learning Arboretum and Putah Creek.

Overlapping functions create an interesting environment and maximize space in a fluid way. As a result the modest sized building functions as a much larger building.

The project, subject to strict budgetary constraints, was completed in April, 1992.