Station Design: Renovate or Design New: Bridging the Gap Between Design and Function

“There are known knowns. These are things we know that we know. There are known unknowns. That is to say, there are things that we know we don't know. But there are also unknown unknowns. There are things we don’t know we don’t know.”—Donald Rumsfeld

At a recent conference for fire chiefs, at least a dozen times, participants said that the moment to decide to renovate an existing firehouse or to build a new station is accompanied by a high level of stress. Part of that involved the questions, “Where do we begin?”, “How could we prepare to understand the design process?” and “Who do we need to get involved for decisions?”

Architects know best how to design a building, and firefighters know best how a fire station functions. Integrating those knowledge bases is the key to success. The more information, insight, and concerns that are shared early and often, the better that the two groups can transform what isn’t known into a known, and the more that the stress level will dissolve.

Every communication is an opening for collaboration, to build trust within the teams, and to, ultimately, create a station that looks good, feels right and functions ideally for decades.

How is this achieved?

Understanding how each region is unique and how each department represents the people that it serves is a critical perspective. Listening, learning and utilizing those lessons consistently are paramount. At the same time, every new project should start from the perspective of a “clean slate,” because, again, every situation is distinctive.

Active listening transforms the way that architects, who have different perspectives than first responders, communicate with first responders. Three factors are important to consider when deciding to renovate or build a new facility.

The past

A department’s past defines what it is, so identify its traditions, culture, mission and vision.

Being of service and having a sense of belonging are paramount to our human purpose of social connection from an individual level to a group level, particularly the camaraderie that distinguishes the fire service. In most cases, the department reflects the distinctive characteristics of the community (i.e., rural, urban, agricultural, industrial, etc.). What makes the culture of an organization is its people. Having a close relationship with the residents of a town or an area and its community events and rituals enables engagement and, therefore, enhances safety.

A department’s mission and vision on how to keep its community(ies) safe dictate how team members operate and make decisions with every situation. When there is alignment and visibility of core values within the team, there is a standard that everyone follows.

A renovation involves assessing the existing conditions of one’s building. Because it involves “more layers to peel,” the assessment might require a broader vision and commitment than building new. By renovating, a department will be able come back to the history and identity of the place.

On the other hand, building new provides the possibility of having a fresh start and building new memories.

Present tense

The second factor that’s important in consideration of whether to renovate or build new relates to connecting the department’s geographic and political context, assessing existing conditions, and understanding codes and regulations.

Building designs must respond to environmental, climate and geographic conditions: hurricanes, tornados, earthquakes, floods, storms, snow, extreme heat or some combination of these.

Also, despite the probable notion of security, some neighbors might feel uneasy—“Not in my backyard”—living close to a fire station because of constant flow or potential high levels of noise. The site of a department’s facility is the foundation of its internal functionality and the connection with the exterior. How is the neighborhood growing? What buildings surround the station (i.e., hospitals, transportation, institutional buildings, other public safety facilities)? Being part of a campus might be of irreplaceable value for the community’s people and can make a difference in how communities operate.

Regarding the political situation of your area: Are the local elections coming up? Has there been a recent change of administration? How do you communicate with city officials? The earlier that an architectural firm gets started familiarizing itself with codes, laws and regulations, the better that the team can achieve an efficient design space and a smooth permit process in alignment of jurisdictional standards.

Furthermore, construction costs always seem to be on the rise, and this is affecting lead times and, sometimes, even space limitations. Integral and mindful allocation of economic resources is crucial to fulfilling all of the programmatic needs. Including all decision-makers and stakeholders early provides visibility of possible unknowns or differing priorities.

The future

Explore sustainable design principles and being open to change. Embrace resilient and flexible design.

At the 2022 Station Design Conference, we constantly heard that new firehouses must last 50–75 years. Hence, benchmarking and monitoring measurable parameters are necessary for optimizing building performance and life cycle costs.

The concept of sustainability consists of fulfilling current needs without compromising the needs of future generations. It’s projected that more people will move from rural areas to more urban areas over the next couple of decades. Fast growth will require quick adaptation to unexpected conditions yet still satisfy the needs of the community. Resourcefulness and learning how to do more with less, in addition to investing in affordable, low-maintenance systems and materials that still are of good quality, will be the basis of design for future high-performing buildings.

A committed team

Doing something that you never did before, such as renovating or building a new fire station, might appear quite daunting. What always works for the success of a new or renovated fire station, however, is a team that’s committed to listening, learning and building trust throughout the entire process. This most certainly enables more unknowns or things that you know that you don’t know to turn into things that you know—and enable the creation of the station that your department and your community deserves.