Terrell Fire Station

In the small town of Terrell, Texas, this design will be the first of five new fire stations planned to be built. The initial design can be used as a template to be modified for the future developments. The clients consisted of three shifts of eight firemen and two captains. They will be provided with bedrooms, restrooms, offices, a briefing room, a full commercial kitchen, a large day room for relaxing, and a weight room. Maximizing comfort, personal customizability, and efficiency were key adjectives. With adverse weather such as tornados being common in the area, the building was outfitted with an integrated storm shelter.

The Day Room is the main shared space for the firefighters where they will likely spend most of their downtime. The clients requested bland, unexciting dorm rooms to encourage the staff to congregate in the shared spaces. Sound bleed was a major concern for the client as the Day Room and Kitchen were close to the dorm rooms and offices. After conducting sound analysis, the solution was to add an angled acoustical ceiling baffle to catch vertical sound while letting in natural light from the clerestory. The large black and white map across the two walls is a custom graphic printed on acoustical panels to catch the horizontally travelling sound

The Kitchen is the other primary space in this building. The staff requires plenty of storage space and three individual locked pantries and fridges to prevent stealing between shifts. The kitchen includes a large community fridge, a large sink with overhead attachment, and a six-burner kitchen range and fume hood. The space needed to be large enough to not only fit a shift of eight firemen with two captains, but also to entertain family and friends for regular cookouts and events. Access to a back patio for grilling and relaxing outdoors was also incredibly important to the clients.

The Apparatus Bays, or the Garage, is set up to house four vehicles within three bays. For the future buildings, the length can be extended to add a fourth or fifth bay if the city needs it. Large fans, drop down electric and air, and vehicle exhaust capture systems are integrated into the ceiling. Additionally, floor drains catch any runoff and allow for easy drainage when cleaning. The front of the building has accordion garage doors that open quicker than the typical overhead doors. However, overhead doors were installed in the back to cut costs. The division emblem is placed on the wall as a large vinyl graphic.

Credit: WRA for Renderings, Plans, Design and Documentation.