FDNY Fire Station

FDNY Fire Station EC 268 LC 137 will be a new fire station in Far Rockaway, Queens. The site is at a prominent corner location adjacent to the borough’s 9/11 Memorial. The design recognizes its highly visible, and vulnerable site and incorporates resilient solutions to prevent future flooding. The program includes work and live facilities as well as storage for equipment and five vehicles. The design is conceived as a simple “machine” to house and support the work of the firefighters.

Two horizontal masses house most of the building program, while a 3rd vertical mass provides circulation to these spaces.  The lower mass contains the Apparatus Floor and related program, Tactical Training program, Storage and Mechanical Space.  This mass is conceived as a durable, utilitarian, and flood-mitigating space as it sits within the Design Flood Elevation.  The upper mass houses the daily occupiable program such as Dining-Kitchen area, Company Office, Training Room, Stress Reduction Room, and Quiet Rooms.  Due to the various types of programs, the façade is designed to have areas of glazing, solid wall, and semi-private outdoor areas contained within its envelope. The horizontal “sliding” or “shift” of these two horizontal masses provides a protected overhang for the Tactical Training Apparatus parked on the east side of the site, and an outdoor roof deck to the west.  A third mass, the stair tower, is pulled outward in plan and expressed as a civic gesture to the neighborhood.  The stair tower is designed with a vertical glass window which provides a better-lit, welcoming stair, while emitting a glow at night as a beacon to the neighborhood of FDNY’s presence.

The building aims to create a dialogue with the 9/11 Tribute Park by having the main entrance be directly visible from the park.  An open and accessible landscaped area along Beach 116th St. provides a soft, pedestrian-friendly frontage, and will hold a series of glass murals by the artist Andrea Belag that speak to the unique history of the Rockaways.