DAllas Fire Station 27
This new 23,600 sf facility, built on the same site as the previous 4,000 sf station, is the first multi-story fire station in Dallas in over 100 years. Responding to an exceptionally tight urban site, a vertical solution was developed. A secure parking garage for personnel vehicles is below grade. At ground level are the main living areas and the drive through apparatus bays. The second level houses sleeping quarters and an innovative fitness room solution set within a glass-encased truss that hovers dramatically above the apparatus bay.
The design re-establishes a strong civic presence for the firehouse. Volumetric separation between the firefighter living and the apparatus support area is created by a glazed atrium. Defined by a 2-story high “story wall,” this atrium brings natural daylight deep into the building and celebrates the history and legacy of firefighting in the service of community.
Those who enter the space will find a museum with displays that describe and illustrate the history of the fire service and Engine 27. Along a balcony above, etched into the red metal panels that wrap the facade, are silhouetted portraits of significant figures in the history of the fire service, among them the first female and minority firefighters, and Capt. Ralph Lack, a Station 27 captain killed while responding to an apartment fire two days before Christmas in 1975.
Fire Station 27 will be a LEED Gold Certified building. The fire station incorporates high performing systems and materials to reduce long-term operational costs. A 7,500 gallon storage tank was installed below the parking garage, which captures rainwater for irrigation and water closet use, contributing to near 80% water savings for the project and rooftop mounted solar PV array has also been installed to offset the operational loads.
TCA Fire Station Specialist Architect, Perkins Will Design Architect