The facility, designed by dasch zürn + partner architects, consists of a fire station and a building yard with a gross floor area of 7,165 m². The new building opens up new possibilities for the fire brigade in terms of storage space for equipment and for training and exercises – and the location ensures that the ten-minute response time can be met. The fire station building houses a vehicle hall for 26 emergency vehicles, a hose and training tower, a vehicle workshop and wash hall, a respiratory protection workshop and radio centre, and training rooms. The building yard has a hall for 12 vehicles as well as a carpenter's and a locksmith's workshop. The merger into a single location was initiated by the building yard, whose previous premises were in need of renovation. Synergy effects result from shared rooms at the interfaces between the fire station and the building yard. These include the wash hall, the vehicle workshop, a meeting room and a training room. 

A structural "joint" highlights the different uses of the two parts of the building with the hose tower and the height difference resulting from the rising terrain. However, the uniform use of exposed concrete as a material links them together to form a single complex. Insulating concrete was used for the 60-centimetre-thick walls, which regulates the indoor climate in a natural way. This material aesthetic is continued in the interior. "We were fascinated by the possibility of using lightweight concrete to create finished surfaces inside and outside that do not require any additional layers, either in terms of design or building physics," says architect Helmut Dasch. The result is an exciting interplay of large closed wall surfaces with the glazing of the window and gate areas. "We wanted to create a building whose appearance reflects what a fire station embodies: robustness, safety, reliability and craftsmanship, for example," emphasises Dasch. In keeping with the sloping terrain, the complex is terraced and a ramp connects the two courtyard levels. The fire station and building yard have separate entrances and exits. The radio control centre at the head of the building provides a direct view of the vehicle hall of the 1st departure point as well as the entrance and exit and the car parking spaces. Extensive greening on the flat roof serves as mechanical protection for the roof covering and as a reservoir for rainwater.    

www.dzpa.de

Photos:
Bernhard Tränkle
www.architekturimbild.de

Henrik Schipper
www.henrikschipper.de

(Published in CUBE Stuttgart 02|24)