This facility received the Shared Facilities Bronze Award in Firehouse's 2017 Station Design Awards. Find the full list of winners here.
With a rapidly growing community and the ongoing development of Old Coppell, the Coppell Fire Department and the City of Coppell envisioned a shared facility that would be an instrument for teaching and a community-based feature to provide layers of impact for its residents and visitors alike.
The mission was to develop a unique facility for teaching life safety concepts through a non-traditional process. Here, life safety education is illustrated in a setting both inviting and familiar to young learners. The technology-enhanced safety education can be applied in daily routines of youngsters at home, school and in the public realm. Examples include simulated kitchen fires, mock driving courses, pedestrian/bike safety, working traffic signals, severe weather events, and interaction with public safety officers.
To design the 15,000-square-foot indoor/ outdoor complex, extensive research and collaborative sessions helped define the program and shape the vignettes within the park. During early concept development, it was critical to creatively merge the multiple shared uses—early childhood education, public safety, community classrooms and an Emergency Operations Center.
Sustainability is integrated into the project from the point of arrival through a trellis-shaded entry vestibule that provides passive solar shading on all glass surfaces. Both inside and out, materials provide a welcoming, warm palette, while also achieving goals of durability, longevity local origination and high recycled content. Polished concrete floors reduce the need for volatile chemical-based products over the life span of the building. Natural light is balanced with LED lighting, completewith diming and additional controls.
This facility provides a one-of-a-kind experience that both educates and protects the diverse layers of the community it serves. Coppell Life Safety Park effectively promotes life safety education and supports the safety and well-being of the community in times of pending urgency.
Architect: Brown Reynolds Watford Architects Inc.
