This facility received the Career 2 Notable award in the 2025 Firehouse Station Design Awards. Find the full list of winners here. 

The programming for this project included the development of concept designs through design development and construction documents following an initial site assessment. Designed to reduce response time in the growing community of Morgan Hill, the Butterfield Fire Station is the first fire station that’s in the community to be fully electric.

The single-story station accommodates two drive-through apparatus bays, living quarters for the three-person crew and associated workspaces. Care was taken to separate the work and living quarters spaces, with special attention paid to finishes, ventilation and vehicle exhaust systems and integration of Hot Zone practices within the facility.

The floor plan is designed for minimal steps to apparatus bays, regardless of location, while the individual, gender-neutral dormitories provide optimal space for rest and relaxation. 

Multiple layers of sound isolation, including door bottom seals, ensure sleep and shift changes come with minimal disruption. 

The fitness room is located adjacent to a large patio, which enables outdoor workout space for members as well as all of the traditional fitness equipment.

To support the city’s climate goals, the station operates on a fully solar-powered microgrid system that combines solar power generation with battery storage to create an independent power grid, which allows the station to operate during power outages. Inside of the station, zero-emission equipment includes commercial induction cooktops in the kitchen as well as heat pump water heaters and heat pump HVAC systems throughout the living spaces.

Working through several challenges, including limited construction budget and unique site conditions, several design options were developed for the station that best utilized the available space that was on the site.

“Really good design for such a compact station,” one Station Design Awards judge noted. The design also provided space for the adjacent community park plaza, which included the addition of new park amenities and demolition of the existing on-site amenities.

The building’s exterior finishes are stucco and brick, to complement the surrounding building style of Morgan Hill.

Architect: COAR Design Group