Fire Station 51 was recently completed at 17951 Southcenter Parkway in Tukwila, standing out as an island of civic architecture in a sea of big box stores, restaurants and parking lots.
The 12,540-square-foot, one-story building houses six firefighters. It was designed to improve the health, safety and mental well-being of firefighters, and project a sense of permanence, reliability and protection. The massive brick walls and vertical metal slots are meant to emphasize the strength and stability of the fire department.
Apparatus bays align with the intersection for a speedy exit. Adjacent housing for the firefighters is arranged around a small west-facing courtyard, which provides natural light, privacy and visual respite from the busy street.
The project cost was $14.68 million. It is the first of two new fire stations being built under a 2016 bond measure to improve public safety infrastructure.
Owner: City of Tukwila
Architect: Weinstein A+U
General contractor: Lydig Construction
Owner’s representative: Shiels Obletz Johnsen
Civil engineer: LPD Engineering
Landscape architect: Swift Co.
Structural engineer: Swenson Say Faget
Mechanical engineer: The Greenbusch Group
Electrical engineer: TFWB Engineers
Cost estimator: RLB
Fire Station Specialist Architect: TCA
Geotechnical Engineer: Hart Crowser
Traffic Engineer: WH Pacific
IMAGE CREDITS
Andrew Nam / Weinstein A+U
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