In Quarters: Mineta San Jose International Airport Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting Station 20, San Jose, CA

This facility received a Career 1 Notable award in the 2023 Firehouse Station Design Awards. Find the full list of winners here.

The Mineta San Jose International Airport Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) Station was designed to replace an aging original station that was located in the pathway of the Terminal B expansion program.

The program for the 18,000-sq.-ft. facility includes a five-bay fire station that houses the ARFF vehicles that serve the secure airside operations area of the airport and a singlebay fire station that serves the surrounding (landside) community, including the terminal buildings. The addition of the landside bay supports improved response times for the surrounding community. The hybrid fire station is unique to the San Jose Fire Department and includes living quarters and work areas for a staff of 10. The project was designed as part of a three-building campus and was the first of the enabling projects to be completed, which allows for the expansion of Terminal B.

The design of the station utilized apparatus turn radius analysis to set the apparatus bays, to allow for vehicular travel patterns that enhance response times for safety onto the airfield and into traffic in the public right of way for the landside component. The rest of the station was designed around that, with dormitories separated to the quieter side of the site and the primary communal spaces facing the airfield.

The project was funded by Federal Aviation Administration Airport Improvement Grants and is compliant with the federal Buy American Act. Additional funding by city of San Jose Measure T Bond funding contributed to the construction of the landside component. The project is also LEED Silver-certified.

Architect/Firm Name: MarJang Architecture, Ten Over Studio