Sam Davis (1946-)

Sam Davis was a UC Berkeley architecture and environmental design professor for 35 years. Educated at Berkeley and Yale, Davis was a well-regarded teacher, earning the Distinguished Teaching Award after only three years at Berkeley. His professional work was based primarily in Northern California where he maintained an active career designing, studying, and renovating spaces around the Berkeley and UC Davis campus. A Fellow of the American Institute of Architects, he has won numerous awards for his work, including the renovation of UC Berkeley’s University Village, the Roosevelt Island housing project in New York, and the solar-based Summertree (later Pajaro) condominium complex.

The collection is comprised of four boxes of material based primarily on his professional career. The bulk of the collection is made up of drawings and photographs of his many projects, most of which are private residences and public housing projects in California. Of particular note is Davis’ work in designing solar and energy efficient buildings, affordable housing projects, and housing for the homeless and other at-risk groups. There are also teaching materials, such as syllabi, course notes, and student projects, from his many architecture courses at UC Berkeley.