Architect: Oz Architecture
Year Built: 2014
Cost: $8 million
Significance
The voter approved 2007 Better Denver Bond Program provided much of the funds for the land acquisition, construction, and firefighting equipment for this vital new station. Denver Public Works provided project management for the facility and worked closely with the Denver Fire Department. Mark Young Construction built it.
Building Characteristics
At this state-state-of-the-art firehouse, firefighters can train for all types of emergencies including high-rise buildings, search and rescue, and confined space rescue. Behind the station, the roof cutting training prop is configured to allow the debris to fall directly into the dumpster. Station 18 is located on more than one and a half acres of land and is a “drive through” building allowing for better maneuvering of trucks and equipment in and out of the station.
The custom kitchen table was designed and built by firefighters of Denver Fire Station 12. The kitchen floor design incorporates the DFD logo. The refurbished fire poles came from old Denver Fire Station 10 in the Curtis Park neighborhood.
People
A crew of four firefighters is on duty at all times, staffing Engine 18. Each crew works 24-hour shifts.
Sustainability
The station rated LEED Gold by the U.S. Green Building Council, and it incorporates environmentally sustainable approaches to conserve resources and save energy in keeping with the City and County of Denver’s sustainability goals. Sustainable building features include a ground source heat pump system to provide energy efficient heating, cooling, and ventilation for the building, added insulation, low flow plumbing fixtures, and recycled content. To reduce electrical use the building has day-lighting, solar tube skylights, motion sensor light switches, and low-wattage LED and CFL light bulbs.
Station 18 was designed for lower future facility maintenance costs. Features include high quality hardware on steel kitchen cabinets, more concrete and less carpet for easier cleaning, more durable and longer lasting benches (instead of office chairs) for the kitchen table, and wainscoting on hallway walls for easier cleaning and longer wear. There are commercial appliances in the kitchen, laundry, and extractor room.
Public Art The station features an art piece called “History and Tradition” created by artist Barry Rose. This piece has been incorporated as a terra cotta bas-relief into the fire station’s façade. It celebrates the contributions of firefighters throughout Denver’s history and features a modern firefighter, historic figures, as well as a horse-drawn wagon being pulled from the former old Fire Station 18, which is now a police substation in City Park.
Architect
OZ Architecture is a Denver firm that was founded in 1965. The name OZ comes from the initials of two of the firm’s founding principals, Tom Obermeier and Alan Zeigel. The firm’s diverse portfolio includes designs for resort villages and dynamic cityscapes across the country, and master plans for the city of Kigali in Rwanda and the southern tip of Antarctica, where OZ is reshaping McMurdo Station. Current local projects include the ambitious 250 Columbine in Cherry Creek North and the relocated World Trade Center along with hotels, office, and residential high-rises in River North. The firm has 21 principals and 150 employees.
References
Sarah Moss, Strategic Programs and Government Affairs Manager; Denver Fire Department; Article by Jennifer Seward, ENR Mountain States, June 14, 2016.