Tucson, Arizona

Building a vertical structure that is respectful and family friendly to a wonderful barrio is a critical issue. While meeting Fire Central's operational and functional needs are fundamental to its design, the building's appearance is heavily influenced by its context. We have incorporated important symbolic neighborhood gestures, such as utilizing the material (stucco) and color dominant in the Barrio, as well as abstracted window patterns, porches and the simple linear, flat-roofed, aspect of Tucson's early row houses. We used a methodology that created scale reducing "green porches". We incorporated a dominant neighborhood pattern (the non-right angle character of the streets) into the plan, and melded the adjacent green belt with the building which also benefits the ecological need to reduce the "heat island effect". A number of sustainable features are integral to the design including these "green porches".

We believe our understanding of the site and its relationship to the Fire Central Headquarters Building and Fire Station allowed us to create a highly efficient facility that is neighborhood friendly and an exciting place to work. Integration with the proposed green belt, preservation of lines of sight for viewing the fireworks on "A" Mountain, and a special gesture to the neighborhood church at our southeast corner, will connect Fire Central to the Barrio.

The very nature of this approach will, hopefully, lead to a building that informs the viewer (curb appeal) that this is the home of Tucson's finest, and that this building reflects that excellence in a way that fits with its place. Most importantly Fire Central will symbolize a spirit that is welcoming, open, inviting and caring.