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This two-level 21,200-square-foot fire station in a rapidly growing community reduces response time, establishes a strong and transparent civic presence, and uses biophilic design principles to support firefighters’ physical and mental wellness. 

The Fluvia emergency zone wishes to erect a new fire station for the Lauwe and Marke fire brigades on the Bramier business park. The site assigned for the new fire station is located at the end of the business park and borders the adjacent nature reserve.

The special challenge consists in arranging the three utilization units (rescue service, professional and voluntary fire brigade) in a functionally sensible way and at the same time fulfilling the high requirements for noise protection. However, the individual parts of the building should also create a concise overall structure that does justice to the exposed urban situation right at the entrance to the local district.

A new fire station has been built for the regional fire brigade on Schafweg in the Wemb district of the municipality of Weeze in North Rhine-Westphalia. The building consists of two flat structures that overlap by almost five meters. The shared grey clinker-brick façade gives the new buildings the appearance of a coherent unit. The design was awarded first prize in the architectural competition.

Keelung, the northmost city on Taiwan’s main island, is one of the earliest developed cities in northern Taiwan. It is a mountainous and rainy harbor city with more than 90% hills. Those coastal areas and steep hills form a beautiful natural landscape in the city yet are architecturally challenging sites. The climate and landscape result in flood planes in lower areas and landslides in the mountainous areas. Thus, the site selection of the Keelung City Fire Department Nuannuan branch is on the edge of the old city, interfacing the hilly natural environment.

Located in Brooklyn’s Brownsville neighborhood, the new Rescue Company 2 facility is designed as a tool for training, enabling FDNY’s elite force of specialized rescue workers to stage and simulate a wide range of emergency conditions in, on, and around the building.

When the alarm sounds at Vienna’s Speising Fire Station, the firefighters have just 30 seconds to get ready and turn out. When every second counts, the primary task of the architect is to ensure optimum process efficiency and so tactical functionality. At the same time, the brief for this vital infrastructure project, a building that is staffed 24 hours a day and 365 days a year, called for a distinctive architectural design.

Context + Site

Nestled in the rugged terrain of Greenland’s seaside capital, a new correctional facility designed by Danish architectural firms Schmidt Hammer Lassen and Friis & Moltke, exemplifies the power of design to humanize the justice system. Known as Anstalten, the facility is designed to give inmates a sense of purpose and hope while reuniting them with their families, allowing them to rehabilitate in a more humane, healing environment.