Publicity: United States Air Force Design Award
The Merit Award in Facility Design from the United States Air Force was recently given to the Fire Crash and Rescue Station at Hill Air Force Base. The design team for this extensive and complex project included Arch Nexus’ Mark Davis, Stephen Springer, Sean Bennett and Shane Stephenson.
This facility was requested to be architecturally significant to Hill Air Force Base. The design team responded by having the building’s massing and shape evoke a sense of sheltering and embracing, as would be desired during times of emergency. The facility’s form creates an outreach entrance to help guide passers-by and visitors into the building’s entry. Massing also opens up to the public, in a sense, by creating a span of glass and a rising roofline on the south area where occupants would be seen exercising in the training room.
Due to the nature of this 24-hour facility, attaining the federally mandated level of LEED Silver certification imposed great challenges on the project. Compounded by the fact that the building required heat recovery systems within the apparatus bays made it particularly challenging to meet the minimum energy performance requirement. Designers developed a highly efficient building envelope, LED lighting, and optimized heating and cooling systems. The building has also been designed to allow for future solar panels.
