This facility received the Renovations Notable Award in the 2021 Firehouse Station Design Awards. Find the full list of winners here.
Having outgrown its facility, the Beecher, IL, Fire Protection District (BFPD) needed a more robust station that embodies 21st century standards. A two-part addition and renovation achieved several critical goals: professionalized workspaces, living quarters that support firefighter well-being and enhanced civic pride.
A surrounding flood plain presented a major challenge, limiting how far the build- ing could expand. The design team’s solution involved raising the existing building floor level by four inches to maintain a proper elevation above the flood plain.
Today, the BFPD has a new bay that houses an ambulance, EMS equipment and turnout gear. Another addition provides expanded office space, enhanced living spaces that have new sleeping quarters, a combined kitchen/ dayroom and an outdoor deck.
The existing building’s renovation offers a fitness center, a multipurpose room for training and community events and improvements to the existing apparatus bay. The corridor that leads to living quarters proudly proclaims the BFPD’s mission.
The use of wood accents adds warmth to the BFPD’s new facility.
Outside, a redesigned plaza features a 9/11 memorial that includes steel from the World Trade Center. A new main entry welcomes visitors into a lobby that features the BFPD’s shield mounted on dramatic gray tile.
The additions complement the existing sloped rooflines while transforming the station’s exterior. By painting existing building elements in gray/white and using cement board panels on the additions, the entire building is unified, exerting a modern presence in the surrounding landscape. The apparatus bay doors and entryways are outlined in cedar panels.
Inside, wood panels are mounted at the lobby ceiling and infused throughout in cabinetry and furniture. The natural wood, combined with gray/white/neutral colors and strategic red accents, creates a welcoming atmosphere. Interior glazing in the fitness room and other spaces maximizes light and transparency.
Achieved on a modest budget, the transformation of the BFPD station illustrates the power of imaginative, purposeful design.
Architect/Firm Name: FGM Architects
