The city of Tukwila is slated to complete Fire Station 51 at 17951 Southcenter Parkway at the end of the month.
It is one of two fire stations designed for the city by Weinstein A+U. The other, Station 52, at 15447 65th Ave. S., is scheduled for completion in January.
The total project cost is $14.68 million for Station 51, and $23.75 million for Station 52.
Weinstein A+U was chosen to design the new stations as part of a 2016 bond measure passed to improve the city’s public safety infrastructure, the firm said in press materials.
To create a “family” of stations located in disparate neighborhoods, the team developed an architectural language of massive brick walls and vertical metal slots, meant to emphasize the strength and stability of the fire department. The architect said the new stations will improve the health, safety and mental well-being of firefighters, and project a sense of permanence, reliability and protection.
Station 51 stands out as an island of civic architecture in a sea of big box stores, restaurants and parking lots, Weinstein A+U said. The 12,540-square-foot, one-story building houses six firefighters. It is organized by the location of the apparatus bays, which 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, as well as privacy and visual respite from the busy street.
Station 52 is the new headquarters station. The two-story 16,855-square-foot station is designed to house two firefighting crews, the battalion chief and the fire department administration. Offices will be on the second floor, while the station’s operational spaces, including individual bunk rooms, will be primarily on the ground level for easy access to the apparatus bay and efficient response times.
The project team for both stations includes Lydig Construction, general contractor; SOJ, owner’s representative; LPD Engineering, civil; Swift Co., landscape architect; Swenson Say Faget, structural; The Greenbusch Group, mechanical; TFWB Engineers, electrical; and RLB, cost estimator.
IMAGE CREDITS
Weinstein A+U