In Quarters: Westford, MA, Fire Headquarters

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

The new Westford Fire Headquarters (WFH) on Boston Road replaces Westford’s Center Fire Station. The facility provides modern firefighting and EMS services to both the town of Westford and several nearby communities.

The site for the headquarters is a former apple orchard and was selected in part because of its prominence and proximity to historic Westford Center. This location allows the building to act as a town “gateway” with a welcoming design that recalls Westford’s old mill buildings. However, the site presented challenges, such as a steep grade, contaminated soil and a significant amount of ledge. The design team dealt with these challenges by distributing the program in a minimally invasive way, thus reducing the need for extensive earthwork. Steep topography was avoided; the ledge was used as natural retaining structure; and much of the soil was left undisturbed. The finished site communicates a natural feel, with apple trees from the former orchard still present.

Aside from the drive-thru apparatus room and its associated support spaces, the facility’s first floor houses fire administrative offices, a main lobby that features built-in display cases and a training room, the latter of which is open to the public for its use.

The second floor contains living quarters, a study, a large communal kitchen, a dining area, a dayroom, a patio and a fitness room. The building is outfitted with high-efficiency MEP systems, LED lighting and sustainable materials that were selected for durability. Westford’s notable history of granite quarrying is celebrated through the building’s materials, with granite being used as flooring, wall cladding, the building sign and inlay for the WFH seal.

Additionally, the project incorporated much-needed training elements. These include high-ladder training off of the rear of the apparatus, a training hydrant, and confined-space training via a sewer access hole that’s between floor levels for raising and lowering emergency personnel via tripod.

Architect/Firm Name: Context Architecture