PUBLIC SAFETY: Sarasota County, FL
Sarasota County Fire Station #13 was an exercise in using color and materials to update an existing design for a new site. Based on the county’s Fire Station #12 and #14 design, the Siesta Key station borrows the 10,500 SF two-story plan but composes the building’s exterior to match the sandy beachside location and surrounding architecture.
Instead of the wood façade used in #12 and #14, both of which are located on mainland thoroughfares and designed to reflect the surrounding ecology, Fire Station #13 adopted grays and whites to reference the bright quartz sand of Siesta Key Public Beach. In addition, bricks from the original station were used in the construction as a nod to Fire Station’s historical palette. The Fire Station design shares the same drive-through capability of the two apparatus bays on the ground floor, with the ability to house a fire truck, EMS vehicle and ATV for beach operations. Crew quarters, a kitchen, recreation spaces, a report writing room, and a screened-in patio are located on the second story.
Built on a foundation elevated 13 feet and able to survive a Category 4 hurricane, the resilient building is built for longevity while still taking up a smaller footprint than the original. Like other stations designed by Sweet Sparkman, Sarasota County Fire Station #13 is designed to meet the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED certification for sustainability.
.jpg)