By Alan M. Petrillo

Mackenzie Architecture has designed and built the new fire headquarters for the Albany (OR) Fire Department, replacing its Fire Station 11 that was 66 years old, didn’t meet current building and energy codes or ADA accessibility requirements, and lacked the space and flow to meet the fire department's operational needs.

Jeff Humphries, director of architecture for Mackenzie, says that extensive water infiltration problems and the threat of building collapse during a major earthquake meant that something needed to be done to the Albany headquarters station. Humphries notes that Mackenzie had done work previously for the city of Albany on a seismic upgrade and remodel of a fire station, so it was able to give the city some guidance about design and construction before Albany issued its RFP.

Mackenzie led a needs assessment process for the city of Albany to investigate issues associated with its aging fire facility and to define possible solutions. "Through this process we determined, along with the city, that a new station was the most economical path forward," Humphries says. "We were asked to propose for both the new fire department headquarters, and a new police headquarters to be constructed at a different location," Humphries points out.

He notes that the city wanted the competing design teams to interface with the community, which meant displaying three visual boards of their site plan, design, and floor plan at the city library for a month where citizens could comment about what they liked or disliked, both at the library and online. A successful bond campaign and funding from several additional sources, including urban renewal grants, allowed the city to complete the project. "Mackenzie Architecture pursued both the fire and police projects and went through the proposal, design and presenting concept interviews and were able to win the contracts for both projects, partly because we pitched them on the value of dealing with the same people and firm for the two projects."

The resulting fire facility encompasses 24,000 squre feet with eight drive-through apparatus bays, five of which are double-deep. The new headquarters also has living quarters, space for fire department administration staff, a large community room for meetings and training, and serves a dual function as an emergency operations center.

"Albany is a very old city, and its headquarters station is the city's downtown core," Humphries says, "which has many turn-of-the-century structures, so the city wanted to keep that older flavor with the new headquarters fire station. "In the new building, we put in cornices and flat arches above the windows and added a broad, extensive glass area in the lobby and community room. The structure is a blend of new and old ideas, with the exterior walls being made out of structural brick along with cement board siding for contrast."

Humphries says that the ground floor of Albany's new station houses the apparatus bays as well as its support areas, such as a decon room, turnout gear room, tool room, and EMS supply room. "The rest of the first floor consists of administrative offices, where there are five fire staff members in the fire marshal’s office; and offices for the chief, assistant chief, ambulance officers, and a break room"

He points out that the station's lobby displays several vintage fire apparatus, including a 1927 Read more

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