The station is a pocket-size city with amenities, infrastructure and utilities. My day-to-day work takes me all over station and it feels like I have been granted keys to the city. My name is Terry and I have been tasked with commissioning the HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) systems here. Please join me as I summarise the highlights of Davis station.
It is certainly a case of location, location, location, with Davis as it is a water-front property with sweeping views. Lounging by the big picture windows upstairs in the Living Quarters is one of the best places to enjoy this aspect. It feels like an airline lounge at times, complete with free snacks and drinks and plenty of comings and goings. Here you can usually find a friendly face keen for a chinwag, or perhaps even hear an account of a recent trip to a remote corner of the Vestfold Hills.
When evaluating a neighborhood, you might consider shops and restaurants. Davis has two well-stocked stores. There is the Green Store, resembling a familiar DIY retailer and complete with high racks, jam-packed with hardware. There is no need to show your receipt when you exit though as it's help yourself here. The Red Store imitates a fancy camping store, but this one can fit out an Antarctic expedition (complete with an assortment of all-terrain vehicles) and there is no cashier trying to upsell you. Davis also has its own dining and entertainment precinct in the Living Quarters, with a restaurant, bar and cinema. No queue for a cab home after a night out though, as it’s only a short stroll across the link bridge to your bedroom.
Cities have parks for green space and recreation, Davis has the hydroponics building. Really more of an oasis in the desert than city park, it is warm, fertile and complete with fresh water and lush vegetation with a rich scent. I was quick to volunteer for a role with the hydro team. But if parks are not your thing, Davis also has a beach to enjoy year-round. Remember, there is no bad weather just bad clothing!
Accessibility to your workplace is an important consideration. How far is the commute at Davis? It’s a five minute walk from your bedroom in the Sleeping Quarters to any building in the station limits and there are plenty of alternative routes during peak hour!
Davis could be considered a mecca for modernist architecture as it is filled with buildings that conform to its principles. Form follows function with every structure, and enthusiasts would no doubt admire their clean and simple designs as they walk around station looking upwards.
But what is my favourite way to appreciate Davis station? It is during a raging blizzard, snug and warm in my bed, contemplating how Mother Davis is protecting me in the coldest, driest, iciest and windiest continent on Earth.
Terry Low – MSBT
