In Quarters: Waconia, MN, Fire Station

This facility received the Volunteer Gold award in the 2025 Firehouse Station Design Awards. Find the full list of winners here. 

With a proud history of volunteerism, the city of Waconia and the Waconia Fire Department envisioned a station that would serve not only firefighters but the entire community—an archetypal volunteer fire hall that stands as a civic asset and a symbol of pride. The design reflects the values of the small city, drawing inspiration from Waconia’s first fire station.

Key architectural elements include a tower, mostly flat roofs, framed-glass apparatus doors, smaller punched windows and brick cladding with stone detailing at prominent locations. The interior maintains a commercial-institutional character, to avoid the purely utilitarian aesthetic that’s typical of many volunteer departments.

Citizens are welcomed by a landscaped entry plaza that features the original fire station’s bell and a small apparatus door that showcases the refurbished REO Speedwagon parade truck. Inside, the public lobby provides easy access to a 100-person community/training room, which also functions as a polling place.

The department’s headquarters spaces are accessible directly from the lobby. At the same time, quick access to the apparatus bays and kitchen is maintained. The living quarters are organized around a large great-room-style common space and include a generous outdoor area, bunkrooms, showers, lockers for duty crews and a physical conditioning room that has outdoor access. Said one of the Station Design Awards judges, “I love the natural lighting in the entire station.”

An NFPA-compliant personnel decontamination suite, which includes steam showers, creates a clean/dirty transition zone. The central location of the decon area was appreciated by the Station Design Awards judges because of how it brings the essential spaces closer to the center of the building.

The station features six apparatus bays that are split into two rooms by a central support bar.

The apparatus bay roof utilizes precast double-tee structures, which were selected for their lack of horizontal surfaces where carcinogens could accumulate. A separate apparatus return drive that doubles as parking for paid-on-call members ensures quick access to the bays and gear storage. A deep rear apron supports apparatus maneuvering and serves as a staging area that’s adjacent to a three-story training tower.

Meeting required training hours is challenging, and making those hours meaningful is even more so. The old station’s training room couldn’t accommodate the full department.

The new facility greatly improves training capacity. In addition to a state-of-the-art classroom, hands-on training elements include the training tower (with windows and balconies), a switchback stair that has a training standpipe, a large mezzanine that’s configurable for search and rescue drills, indoor balconies and windows for training during inclement weather, and sewer accesses that have rappelling anchors for technical rescue training.

The building and site were designed to accommodate a future law enforcement wing, with a separate entrance and full integration into the facility’s building systems.

Architect: BKV Group