Denver Fire Station #18

DENVER FIRE STATION 18: LOWRY’S SUSTAINABLE AND STATE-OF-THE-ART FIRE STATION 

What do you think are some advantages to designing and building a fire station with the goal of sustainability in mind? 

At this 2014 cutting-edge firehouse, firefighters can train for all types of emergencies including high-rise buildings, search and rescue and confined space rescue. Behind the station, the roof cutting training prop is configured to allow the debris to fall for easy cleanup. Station 18 is located on more than one and a half acres of land in the Lowry neighborhood and is a “drive through” building allowing for better maneuvering of trucks and equipment in and out of the station (Denver Fire Department News Release). Lowry was originally home to Lowry Air Force Base from 1938-1966, and was eventually redeveloped into a master-planned community (Art and History). 

Structure
The station is rated Leed Gold by the U.S. Green Building Council. It incorporates environmentally sustainable approaches to conserve resources and save energy in keeping with the City and County of Denver’s sustainability goals. Station 18 was also designed for lower future facility maintenance costs.  

The station features an art piece called “History and Tradition” created by artist Barry Rose. This piece has been incorporated as a terra cotta bas-relief into the fire station’s façade. It celebrates the contributions of firefighters throughout Denver’s history. It features a modern firefighter, historic figures and a horse-drawn wagon being pulled from the former Fire Station 18, which is now a police substation in City Park.

A crew of four firefighters is on duty at all times staffing Engine 18. Each crew works a 24-hour shift. The custom kitchen table was designed and built by firefighters of Denver Fire Station 12. The kitchen floor design incorporates the Denver Fire Department logo. The refurbished fire poles came from old Denver Fire Station 10 in the Curtis Park neighborhood.  

The voter-approved 2007 Better Denver Bond Program provided approximately $8 million for the land acquisition, construction and firefighting equipment for this vital new station. Denver Public Works provided project management for the facility and worked closely with the Denver Fire Department (Denver Fire Department News Release). 

Architect
OZ Architecture, a Denver firm founded in 1965, designed the firehouse. The name OZ comes from the initials of two of the firm’s founding principals, Tom Obermeier and Alan Zeigel. The firm’s diverse portfolio includes designs for resort villages and dynamic cityscapes across the country, and master plans for the city of Kigali in Rwanda and the southern tip of Antarctica, where OZ is reshaping McMurdo Station. Current local projects include the ambitious 250 Columbine in Cherry Creek North and the relocated World Trade Center along with hotels, office and residential high-rises in River North. The firm has 21 principals and 150 employees.  

References 

Denver Fire Department News Release. 

Lowry Denver. Art & History. Retrieved from http://www.lowrydenver.com/art-and-history/.

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