In Quarters: Arlington, VA, County Fire Station 8

This facility received the Career 1 Notable award in the 2025 Firehouse Station Design Awards. Find the full list of winners here. 

Arlington County Fire Station 8 combines state-of-the-art functionality with a design that honors the history of the community. It replaces a station that was built in 1963, which was a few years after the county fire department was integrated.

Station 8 was the first Black volunteer fire company in the Jim Crow South. The community was cut off from emergency services by the county fire department and physically separated from white neighborhoods, so it took action to protect itself. The station provided critical public safety services while also serving as a vital hub for learning and social connection for the community.

In recognition of this powerful legacy, the design team led a community-driven design process that included in-person, hybrid and virtual formats. Voices ranged from the grandchildren of original firefighters to neighbors who have lived beside the station’s aging pioneers.

The resulting design balances historical tribute with a strong emphasis on accessibility, sustainability, resilience and future needs. All spaces meet Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards and are designed to adapt to changing mobility and gender dynamics. Interpretive exhibits on the station’s exterior, in the lobby and throughout the living quarters celebrate Station 8’s history. The first floor features an ADA-accessible lobby and a unique safe haven area. This secure space offers protection for individuals experiencing violence, allowing them to lock down in the bullet-resistant room and connect directly with emergency dispatch.

Operationally, the first floor incorporates best practices in Hot/Warm/Cold Zone design to prevent contaminants from reaching the administrative and living areas on the second and third floors. It includes dedicated gear locker and reserve gear rooms, a gear laundry/cleaning room, two toilet/shower rooms with adjacent lockers for firefighters to shower and change clothes, and laundry space for dirty station uniforms.

The second floor includes offices, meeting rooms and a fitness space that opens onto a patio, which provides fresh air and light while reducing the facility’s visual scale near the residential neighborhood. 

The third floor houses the station’s living quarters. An open-concept kitchen/dining area accommodates a full shift. An enclosed dayroom provides acoustic privacy for relaxation or watching TV.

Individual bunk suites were designed with gender neutrality and sleep hygiene in mind. Eleven of the 12 suites can be made accessible, with one built fully accessible from the start.

Station materials were selected to blend tradition with modernity: red brick for historical continuity and metal paneling for a contemporary edge. A stair tower glows red when the station is responding to a call. At its base, a custom sign that was inspired by the original Station 8 badge marks the station’s number along the accessible entry path. The Station Design Awards judges praised the station’s exterior, with one calling the execution “something that approaches the spectacular.” Sustainability is central to the design of Station 8.

Its compact urban footprint is paired with a biosolar roof that combines a vegetated green roof with photovoltaic solar panels. This integrated system enhances solar efficiency by creating a cooler microclimate while shading the roof plants.

Architect: FGM Architects