FIRE STATION NO. 17

fire station no. 17

Seattle, Washington

CLIENT

City of Seattle

size

21,910 sf

YEAR

2010

AWARDs

• Historic Seattle, Best Rehabilitation Award, 2010

• Fire Chief Magazine, Station Style Award, 2010

Seattle Fire Station 17 was built in 1930 of substantial concrete construction, and was last renovated in 1987. The building systems were past their useful life, but the structural frame and envelope were in generally good condition and worthy of renovation. The building and site are designated as a Seattle Landmark.

This project includes a significant addition and substantial alterations to the existing building. Most of the existing building’s concrete frame, exterior walls, roof structure and existing apparatus bay doors, fire poles, entry door and artwork have been preserved. Reinforcements were made to meet seismic safety objectives. The interior spaces have been reorganized for more efficient operations and to meet other programmatic objectives including health and safety of fire fighters, gender-neutral crew quarters, disaster survivability, and sustainable, energy-efficient facilities and site design.

The building addition complements the architectural characteristics of the historic landmark through massing, color and materials. The new apparatus bay stands out as a light colored concrete box with red doors, similar to the original bays; dark metal siding clad the crew quarters and form a “stitch” to visually separates the new wing from the historic. Street to the drill court entrance on 11th Avenue. The project includes seven LEED credits for reducing energy use, stringent commissioning and air quality testing, recovery of drill water for landscape irrigation, and solar hot water heating – effective even on cloudy Seattle days – enhancing operations during a disaster.