Hot Houses
When Seattle’s fire stations needed an overhaul, the city selected local architects to give these ultimate live/work spaces a modern-minded update.
Seattle, Washington, firefighters don’t need to bunk next to their trucks anymore. Thirteen architecture firms so far have been hired as part of a $300 million program to upgrade all 32 neighborhood stations by 2015 (20 substantial renovations and 12 new constructions), and each proposed a sustainable new style of fire-station living.
Fire Station 39 by Miller Hull Partnership (above)
www.millerhull.com
Massive glazed doors invite the community to peep into this outpost’s guts and rigs, while an external steel sculpture acts as water feature, filtering rain from the roof to a 7,000-gallon underground cistern that supports toilet and truck-washing needs. Kitchen and sleeping quarters are separated from working areas, preventing smudges from dirty work gear.
Fire Station 38 by Schreiber Starling & Lane Architects.
sslarchitects.com
Color coding characterizes the exterior of Station 38, set on a reclaimed brownfield site: White demarcates the living spaces, red is for working, and slate indicates operations. The distinct curved roof channels rain runoff to a garden. The firefighters appreciate the revised operational flow that has them out the door from anywhere in their new home within a minute of the bell tolling.
Fire Station 30 by Schacht Aslani Architects
saarch.com
Sunlight changes the look of Number 30’s imaginative frittered-glass signage, but the red doors in front remain colorfast. Schacht Aslani Architects’ Eric Aman moved five bunk rooms upstairs, allowing the “beanery,” a kitchen-dining room with a range, stove, television, and dining table, to take in the street-level views downstairs. Geothermal heat and on-site stormwater treatment helped the building achieve LEED Gold certification.
Click here for our extended slideshow of Seattle's fire stations.
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In front of a fire house? I guess I don't see how this helps firefighting. Maybe it draws in visitors that want to donate to keep odd things like this in the firefighting budget. I do like some of the designs of the firehouses to be nice. I like things that make life easier for the firefighters, But I was reading that the city was paying for this? I just cant see how this helps anything.? Maybe I am not gettig the full story while looking at this article on my iPhone. Idk. Just seems like a waste of money unless they figure when the fins are up it creates a butterfly effect that calms the wind around the fire and makes it easier to put out. Seems like some waste of city funds.
This is for Mike, if he happens to ever return and read this: While I realize that spending city/state/federal funds in any way is always a touchy subject, I also get a bit riled up when people forget that the money also went to pay architects, engineers, contractors, builders, artists, etc. It put people to work. The firefighters benefit from better, more functional, more sustainable, and more beautiful facilities. The artists benefit from the commissions, and the city benefits from a more polished, interactive, and creative urban landscape. I can't say for sure that there weren't better ways to spend the money - of course I can't. But I can guarantee there were probably worse options. Because while I'm not necessarily a fan of some of the particular peices I saw, I am a huge advocate for the arts, and the benefits they have on not just individuals, but the overall atmosphere and attitude of entire communities and cities. When people think a city cares about them, they're more apt to care back and take better care of it for their own part. In more situations than not, I view this as a good thing... whether it's a "technical" improvement on the function of a building or space, or not.
In response to above, Seattle actually requires that capital projects reserve a percentage of funding to integrate public art. http://www.seattle.gov/arts/publicart/default.asp It's required that they include these installations. As a resident, I am proud to live in a city that takes aesthetics into account when creating new or replacing/renovating spaces.
Mike fire fighters live in these "houses" for a third of the year. They eat sleep and work out of them to respond to your needs in less than 8 minutes(national average). They do it because they love it. They do it because just once in a while they get to make an epic difference in someones life. Maybe it isn't yours but it might be the family down the street that gets to have a third birthday for Jenny this year because they were there. Would you prefer they live in an institutional looking home or be happy, respected, and be proud to have the future firefighters and their family stop by and visit? I love the idea of having buildings that are not just over sized garages with beds. Love the article and love firefighters for everything they do. Thanx
"If we always do what we have always done, then we always get what we have always got!" Someone said that. Thanks to all of the out of the box thinkers who make the world more beautiful.
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