PUBLIC SAFETY: Sarasota County, Florida
This project is a new 9,300 SF two-story Silver LEED fire station located in Osprey, Florida. The project design is based on two concepts. First, the form and envelope are intended to distinguish the building as a public facility. Second, the building skin provides a contemporary expression of the major programmatic elements.
The constrained site fronts a busy arterial road along the west property line and a residential neighborhood to the north. The building form, a “wood” clad wedge set above a masonry volume, is organized to provide scale and presence along the arterial road, and to create a tall, sheltered plaza to emphasize the community entry space. The second floor veneer, a cementitous panel made to look like wood siding, reflects the fire fighter sleeping rooms and gives the upper volume a warm, lighter quality. The oversized brick cladding on the lower volume relates to the adjacent neighborhood and community use, visually grounding the public facility. The structure is reinforced concrete masonry walls, elevated precast floor systems and pre-engineered metal roof framing.
The following sustainable design features are incorporated into the project; highly reflective cool paving and roof surfaces, solar water heater system, high efficiency HVAC units, low VOC materials, and low water use plumbing fixtures. The building is designed to meet the 2030 Challenge Resolution.
Sweet Sparkman Architects served as Architect of Record for Sarasota County Fire Station #14. The plans were also used to develop a sister station, Sarasota County Fire Station #12 on Bee Ridge Road.
