Fire Station 76
Multnomah Rural Fire Protection District #10
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Living quarters from the south
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FIRE STATION 76 In its simplest form, a fire station comprises little more than a dwelling with an oversized garage. At its most complex, it embodies the values of its community and functions as a highly technical machine for emergency response. Infusing those aspirations with aspects of storytelling and local context inspired our design effort.
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PROJECT BACKGROUND Multnomah Rural Fire Protection District #10 was overdue for a station that reflected community values and embodied the local context. The existing facility was undersized, outdated, falling apart, and in need of replacement. Located across from the old station, the rural, five-acre site presented a place for a new fire station and allowed planning for a future training facility.
Existing facility
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Project site
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SITE ACCESS ANALYSIS Unique site conditions, operational considerations, and emergency response requirements influenced placement and design of the building.
Fire apparatus Fire crew Public
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INSPIRATION Fire Station 76 serves an open landscape of family farms and nurseries. The simplicity of local agrarian vernacular, textured with materials of practicality – primarily wood and metal – informed massing and materials of the new station design. The evident beauty of the surrounding rural environment, patterned fields, and views of the Cascade mountains, suffused with quietly formed agricultural buildings, inspired the concept for the new Fire Station 76. The design layers subtle rural characteristics of the surrounding area over the distinct functions of living and working.
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CONCEPT DIAGRAM Functionally, the design solution divides the facility into two juxtaposing masses: a vaulted apparatus bay featuring exposed glulam arches and a conventionallyframed living quarters emphasized by dark wood siding on the exterior. Carved out voids of warm-toned wood siding continue to the interior, blending the inside and outside through material continuity.
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SHOU SUGI BAN The functional focus of the station, fire – an element of both beauty and destruction – guided the treatment of materials. Using reclaimed timber from a nearby barn, the design included a traditional Japanese charring technique, Shou Sugi Ban. This technique goes deeper than a surface char, and is known as “alligator char” named for the animal’s skin–like texture created on the wood. Providing approximately an 1/8” layer of char, the technique preserves the wood, and requires little to no maintenance going forward, extending the life of the material. In effect, the burn provides protection from moisture, fire, decay, and insects, and transforms the destructive manner of fire into a striking image of protection and beauty, creating a structure suffused with meaning.
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Reclaim Char Seal Clad
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Site Plan 0
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SITE PLAN The station is rotated slightly, presenting the most recognizable feature of a fire station – the fire apparatus – to the public, while capturing views of the Cascade Mountains from the living quarters, protecting outdoor spaces from winds, and providing a sanctuary for the crew.
LEGEND 1
Apparatus Bay
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Living Quarters
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FLOOR PLAN The linear and compact organization of the living quarters allows direct access to the apparatus bay for quick emergency response.
LEGEND 1
Public Entry
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Office
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Conference
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Dayroom
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Lockers
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Fitness
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Bunk Room
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Apparatus Bay
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Medical Supply
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Floor plan 0
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North elevation
East elevation
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Concept rendering from the northwest
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Concept rendering of dayroom
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Concept rendering of living quarters
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Site during construction
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Apparatus bay framing during construction
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WOOD CONSTRUCTION The apparatus bay is highlighted by exposed, 27-foottall glulam Tudor-style arches, glulam roof framing, and tongue-and-groove structural wood decking. The glulam arches serve as part of the primary structural frame and were designed to resist vertical and lateral loads with additional structural safety factors required for Essential Facilities under the Oregon Structural Specialty Code (Building Code). Structural connections at exposed glulam roof members and decking are concealed from view. Tudor arches were selected as an efficient solution to maintain open spaces and high clearances within the apparatus bay without additional support framing, deeper trusses, or interior columns.
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BUILDING FORM & FUNCTION Fire Station 76 embraces fire, turning it into a feature of protection and beauty. It provides a legacy for the rural community, reflecting its context in both massing and materials, and honors the fire apparatus as technical machines for emergency response.
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View from the northwest
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Living quarters from the east
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CONTRASTS Clad in dark, reclaimed Douglas fir timbers that were milled into siding then charred, the long, linear form of the living quarters rotates to face the Cascade Mountains. Western Red Cedar-clad porches carve into the living quarters, sheltering public and social exterior spaces from weather. The cedar continues into the building interior, surrounding the primary gathering space of the living quarters. In contrast, light gray metal standingseam siding wraps the apparatus bay.
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View from the north
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Dayroom
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Exterior porch
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APPARATUS BAY Exposed glulam Tudor arches spanned by tongue and groove Douglas fir decking stretch over the fire apparatus, honoring and reinforcing their strength as machines for emergency response. Large skylights fill the fire crew’s working space with natural light.
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DETAILS 1 The hardened layer of textured black char protects the wood,
turning the destructive manner of fire into an image of protection and beauty. 2 Natural wood abuts charred wood. 3 A live-edge walnut table, highlighting the station 76 emblem, serves as a central gathering space for the crew. 4 Natural daylight washes the living and working spaces, highlighting warm wood tones.
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OWNER Multnomah Rural Fire Protection District #10 Board Chair: Dr. Mike McKeel Gresham Fire and Rescue: Division Chief Scott Lewis Member of the District #10 Board and Portland Fire and Rescue: Dave Keller HENNEBERY EDDY ARCHITECTS Principal-in-Charge: Michelle Vo, AIA Project Manager: Ian Gelbrich, AIA Project Architect: Camilla Cok, AIA Interior Designer: Elyse Iverson, NCIDQ Project Team: Alexander Lungershausen, AIA CONSULTANTS Civil: KPFF Consulting Engineers Landscape: Otten Landscape Architects Structural: Nishkian Dean Structural Engineers Mechanical: Interface Engineering Electrical: Interface Engineering Plumbing: Interface Engineering CONTRACTOR Bremik Construction, Inc. Photography: Josh Partee Photography
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PROJECT INFORMATION Client: Multnomah Rural Fire Protection District #10 Location: Multnomah County, Oregon Building Use: Fire Station Site Area: 5 Acres Building Area: 10,120 sf Construction Type: V-B Occupancy Type: B, R-2, S-2 Construction Cost: $4.1 M (includes site work) Cost/sf: $320 Completion Date: May 2015 HEA Project Number: 13008 AWARDS Design Award (unbuilt), AIA Portland, 2013 Design Award, AIA Portland, 2015 Wood Design Award, Institutional Design, US WoodWorks, 2015
Wood Design and Building Award, Canadian Wood Council, 2015 Top Projects, Public Service Category, Daily Journal of Commerce, 2016
Merit Award, AIA Northwest and Pacific Region, 2016
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