Fire stations as civic architecture provide a tremendous opportunity to contribute art to the community. Public art can amplify a fire organization’s public connection and community engagement.
Whether an organization voluntarily elects to incorporate art into its station project or the inclusion of art is mandated, considerations for public art include early establishment of the art goals and budget, an artist selection process, project scheduling for design and installation, development of the project context for the art, and a clear delineation between artist and general contractor responsibilities.
In the beginning
Even architectural firms that specialize in fire facility design must know as early as possible whether a project will incorporate public art. Ideally, project art goals are understood at the project design kickoff and visioning meetings. This allows for scheduling, budgeting and design integration. The fire department must develop an artist selection process that conforms to any applicable governing regulations.
An architect can support this process by identifying potential art locations, to establish conceptual notions/limits on where the art could land and provide submitting artists with possible canvasses for their proposals.
Carefully assembling the artist selection committee and creating a judging rubric based on the department’s art goals helps to ensure that the selected art concept is a good fit for the community and organization.
Artist, architect & engineers
After artist selection, the art and architectural design coordination begins in earnest. The location for the art becomes its context, and the architect and consulting engineers have input as the artist develops the concept and determines where the art meets the architecture.
If an artist proposes a sculpture on the site, architectural and engineering team questions include: Will the foundation be laid by the general contractor? How much will the sculpture weigh? How will it connect to its foundation? Will the sculpture be illuminated?
Architectural coordination continues as the department, artist and architect think about the experience of the art from the public way and on the site: Is the artwork present for passing vehicles and pedestrians? Are hardscapes required to approach the art?
The depth of the architectural coordination depends on the degree to which the art is integrated with the architecture. For example, an artist’s concept for art glass or graphics at building glazing provides a host of considerations for how and by whom the work would be executed. If the art is conceived as a pattern on the glass, the architect could develop the glass specifications to include a coating that’s within the insulated glass units per the artist’s design pattern. The execution of the art would be entirely by the general contractor that provides the glass units that have the artist-designed coating.
The contract documents (construction drawing and specifications) should capture the answers to all of the questions that concern incorporating the art within the overall project. This includes who furnishes the art, who installs it and everything that the general contractor will need to provide for the context of the art.
The contract documents should set coordination responsibilities (art development and installation milestones for the general contractor) in the construction schedule. The department might consider a modest art-integration contract allowance to cover costs for unknowns or unresolved aspects of the art concept.
An art success story
“The Sentinel” at the Kirkland, WA, Fire Department’s Station 24 is a great case study of successfully integrated public art at a fire station.
The architect was involved early with the city’s arts committee to select the artist and collaborated as the artist developed his work.
The Maltese Cross-based sculpture is a feature of Station 24’s public plaza. Its orientation responds to the building layout and fenestration design. Its scale and detail allow it to be experienced by passing drivers, cyclists and pedestrians and by visitors in the plaza.
The art is further integrated with the station via power and data connections: When Station 24 receives a call, “The Sentinel” flashes white and red to signal the firefighters’ service to the community.
Elemental
Untethered to facility programming and operations, public art brings another voice and design dimension to a project. A good public art integration plan can unleash the potential of public art and station design to elevate and enhance one another and offer a greater overall aesthetic and public benefit. That said, the path to success for integration of public art in a project includes an early vision and establishment of art goals, a thought-out artist selection process and making the artist part of the project team. Communication between the department, artist and design team is essential.
Project success is further bolstered by clear documentation of responsibilities and schedules.
Forest Hooker
Forest T. Hooker, AIA, NCARB, LEED BD+C, is a principal at TCA Architecture + Planning who has dedicated two decades of his architectural career focusing on civic architecture and specializing in public safety facilities. His passion for the design and development of civic spaces includes how public projects engage communities. In addition to providing architectural design and master planning services at a regional level, Hooker consults nationally as a public safety facility specialist architect, and he lectures and writes on related design issues.
