In Quarters: Atlantic Beach, NC, Public Safety and Administrative Complex

This facility received a Shared Facilities Notable Award in the 2022 Firehouse Station Design Awards. Find the full list of winners here. 

The town of Atlantic Beach Public Safety and Administration Complex houses five departments and is designed with beauty, functionality and strength in mind.

Atlantic Beach is a coastal town that’s located in the southern portion of North Carolina’s outer banks. The previous haphazardly stitched together fire, police and town administrative offices were a collection of buildings that lacked performance and safety.

The new Public Safety and Administration Complex merges the previously separate entities into a unified whole and to serve as an emergency operations center (EOC) during North Carolina’s weather emergencies.

Architects were tasked with creating a civic complex that has the look and feel of the surrounding beach cottages while remaining a highly functional municipal building. The solution: Break the massing down to create a roofline on the second floor that references the scale and material of local cottages.

The complex features a second-floor EOC that’s equipped with multiple viewing screens, video conferencing equipment and radio communications that’s supported by a 250kW diesel generator.

The new fire station has three drive-through bays, a Plymovent exhaust capture system, and increased living space to accommodate men and women firefighters. Special consideration was given to the residential quarters. Located on the second floor, these spaces are flooded with natural light and views of the Atlantic Ocean. Along with the bunkrooms and private captains offices, there is a new open kitchen, dining area, break room, two shared training spaces and an exterior balcony. Adjacent to the complex, an accessory structure serves as a shared gym space and Ocean Rescue headquarters.

Originally installed in the old fire station in 2008, the fire pole was refurbished to complement the traditional spiral staircase that’s in the new building. The Atlantic Beach Fire Department remains the only fire station that’s in Carteret County that has a fire pole.    

Architect/Firm Name: Hobgood Architects