I swear this thing looks like something commissioned for Dubai World, a design element you might see at a shopping mall in a country with too much money. But it's a new cooling tower in the middle of downtown Sacramento, a project nearing completion by the California Department of General Services. This cooling tower is a key part of a new $181 million Central Plant. being built by Sweden's Skanska Group. This plant is powering dozens of state government office buildings across the downtown area. The picture above was shot at about 6 p.m. in early July. Note how it captures the early evening sunlight.
Normally, California's state government is more famous for Stalinist office architecture like the nearby Department of Natural Resources building below: (Ouch, my eyes).
But I'll hand it to the state for this one. DGS has designed a massive steel net around a round cooling tower and added what looks to me like a crown on top. I am sure the City of Sacramento told them not to build a government monstrosity - and somehow, they didn't. The Ironworkers Union has a big old sign on the thing, claiming credit for construction. Hats off.
Here are three more views:
We'll reserve a final judgment until we see how it looks with a head of steam blowing out the top.
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