This facility received a Volunteer/Combination Bronze Award in Firehouse's 2020 Station Design Awards. Find the full list of winners here.
After removing the area that’s required for building setbacks and a gas line easement from the buildable area, the proposed building site appeared to be marginally too small. The building lot, which is shaped like a trapezoid, made it very difficult to develop a cost-effective building envelope that accommodated all of the spaces on the main floor of the building. As a result, it was proposed that the more residential living quarters be pushed to the second floor of the building. because of budget concerns, the completion of the second-floor living quarters for the “future full-time duty crews” was deemed sacrificial and was included in the project plans as an “add alternate bid.” Until needed as future living quarters, the unfinished second floor space is used for search and rescue training as well as to provide the department with additional storage space. The project was brought in 18 percent under budget.
The city elected to hire a construction manager (CM) for the construction of the project. The CM procured package bids and oversaw the construction of the project. After about two months of construction, it was discovered that, while setting precast wall panels, the building foundation was staked and constructed one foot lower than designed and wasn’t installed in accordance with the elevation requirements of the civil site plan. Options, including total removal of the foundation, were discussed and explored, but all parties believed that removal of the fuoundation would result in too much added construction time to the building project. As a result, the team brainstormed additional ideas for resculpting the building lot and the adjacent soccer club building parking lot to allow the one foot less of slope to work within the tight confines of the parcel lot lines and parking lot drainage requirements.
Architect/Firm Name: Brunton Architects & Engineers.
