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

Designed to accommodate current equipment in size and support, the apparatus bay of Station No. 1 contains five double-deep pull-through bays; an adjoining hose and training tower and mezzanine with systems for in-bay overhead water filling, exhaust filtration and scrubbing; and a best-practices approach to cross-contamination mitigation that’s supported by handwashing and decontamination spaces.

Eight critical success factors were established by the district with the design team: aid emergency response time; preserve and build relationships; firefighter and staff health and wellness; good stewardship of resources; future-proof technology assets; support family atmosphere; capability to maintain the facility and grounds; and be a good neighbor.

Site layout was prioritized toward a proven response orientation. This is supported by living quarters for 10 firefighters in private bunkrooms, dual locker rooms, individual changing and shower spaces, and a combined dayroom/dining/kitchen area that fronts out onto a semiprivate patio that provides a view of the Fox River.

The design team’s focus on the connection to the site is very intentional, with opportunities to provide firefighter mental wellness and decompression support with physical recreation, social interaction and private contemplation.

Administrative functions incorporate a dedicated training space that can accommodate community use with public restrooms from an elevated public lobby. Fire protection offices, meeting spaces and work rooms are located across from the training space.

Exterior views reduce the costs that are associated with large expanses of glass and control the unwanted solar heat gain to interior environments. This creates the opportunity to deliberately frame views out to the urban context, the landscaped buffer yard, and the river and trail system.

The Station Design Awards judges recognized these efforts in their assessment of the facility.

Considerations for the mental health effects of first responder facilities is paramount. Contemplative spaces were woven into exterior site and interior use spaces. The concept for interior space development puts an emphasis on a residential scale and materiality. The color palette is warm, natural and calming. Interior finish selections promote infectious disease control by being durable, streamlined and easy-to-clean.

By utilizing the site design to communicate the appropriate access and use of the site, the public is kept safely away from bay aprons. The design of the exterior building volume organization is resolved using Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design, which uses design and management of the physical environment to decrease opportunities for criminal activity and increase the perceived likelihood of being caught, a notable point to the Station Design Awards judges.

With a tight budget, this facility must last 75 years to satisfy owner requirements. The design team utilized tilt-up precast concrete wall systems, future-sized square footages and ample daylight to meet that goal.

Architect: Dewberry