The design competition asks students to use concrete masonry products as the primary material in the design of a state-of-the-art Fire Station. The fire station needs to accommodate diverse functions, including equipment and vehicle storage, maintenance, gender inclusive housing accommodations, recreation, administration, training, community education and civic events. Concrete masonry is a flexible, resilient and durable material, and provides vast opportunities for form, function and expression.

“Fire Stations are extremely complicated buildings technically and they are one of the few commercial building types that are open for business 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. There is also the challenge of integrating commercial uses with immediate adjacency to residential uses so that the building can maintain the duality of its purpose by providing a home to the people that live there while serving the greater public at large (people actually walking into a station for help). You have to consider that fire stations are civic buildings that are placed in residential environments, and that while these buildings need to fulfill many perceptions from the public at large, more specifically they need to address the perception of the community they serve. This could mean breaking the components of the building into smaller units and selecting materials so that the station fits into its neighborhood. It could also mean adjusting the architectural features to create a heightened sense of civic pride and stability.”
-Bob Borson, Architect