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CNH Architects designed a two-story fire station totaling nearly 26,000 SF to replace the existing station that consisted of 4,500 SF. The design includes three and a half apparatus bays, office spaces, training mezzanine, dorm space and fitness center. The station was designed to respect the surrounding residential neighborhood while providing an updated station to meet NFPA best practices, meet operational needs now and into the future, and provide spaces for firefighter wellbeing, physical and mental health.

PLYMOUTH FIRE STATION NO. 3

CNH Architects worked closely with the City of Plymouth to design an addition for Fire Station #3 as well as a remodel for the entire station. Water intrusion caused mold and unhealthy conditions making many areas unusable for the department. CNH addressed this issue in the addition while expanding the dayroom and kitchen and separating turnout gear from the apparatus bays to keep it clean and contaminant free. Additional separation was created between this storage and dorms and administrative areas to better suit the department’s needs and promote better relaxation. Residential areas were moved to the first floor for safety and to improve response times. Training features at the station include a basement training maze that can be setup in a variety of ways and filled with smoke for simulation drills, and a small training mezzanine with training openings.

BURNSVILLE FIRE STATION NO. 1

CNH’s largest fire station to date, the City of Burnsville’s Fire Station No. 1 is home to a crew of all full-time firefighters and more than 44,000 SF with 10 apparatus bays. Firefighter safety was one of nine top priorities for the station. Multiple contamination zones and a designated de-contamination area will allow firefighters to keep contaminated equipment and clothing in the apparatus bay until decontaminated. Another priority in the design was firefighter mental health. A warning system that slowly ramps up with alert tones and lighting while only alerting responding staff ensures firefighters are not awoken in an abrupt manner. The station includes areas for relaxation with different lighting to promote natural sleep rhythms, as well as a yoga studio and meditation garden. Extensive firefighter training features including Firefighter 1 and advanced training elements are another highlight of the station.

The addition and remodeling upgrades to the Mendota Heights Fire Station provided an up-to-date fire station to meet the needs of the department well into the future. Providing a separate, dedicated space for turnout gear with direct connections to firefighter parking and apparatus bays helps shorten response times and provides more room in the bays for apparatus and NFPA clearance standards. Grouping dedicated decontamination areas together in the support spaces separate from the apparatus bays help with overall firefighter health and reducing carcinogen exposure. The administrative functions were moved to the north addition to provide more space and better separation from the hot zone areas as well as separating the public and firefighter traffic to not disrupt firefighter response flow.

EAGAN FIRE STATION NO. 1

Designed for the Eagan Fire Department, Fire Station #1 replaces two older fire stations in a centralized location with quick access to this portion of the service area. The 16,500 square foot walk-out facility includes five apparatus bays on the lower level. Centrally located off the bays are the turnout gear lockers, decontamination, and support equipment storage, all of which are carefully designed to remove contaminants from the air brought back on vehicles, protective gear and equipment. The remainder of the first floor includes training rooms, offices, dispatch and wellness rooms. The firefighter living quarters including dayroom, kitchen, dining, dorms and laundry are arranged on the upper level between bays separated for air quality and quiet.
CNH Architects designed an exterior building image incorporating a central tower, lighted Maltese cross and clock elements, and a special “thin red line” lighting accent to memorialize all fallen firefighters. The site design includes a curved sign wall facing the main intersection capped by a tall flagpole. The goal was to create a landmark image within the community.

LINO LAKES FIRE STATION

CNH Architects worked closely with the City of Lino Lakes to locate and then build a new fire station. The first step was an in-depth study to determine and evaluate potential sites. The review included drive time analysis, apparatus access and safety, site constructability and the comparative total project cost at each site. CNH Architects then led extensive discussions with the City’s design committee to review operational approaches, apparatus needs, on-site training options, and firefighter social activities as well as support space needs, from which a detailed space needs assessment was developed.
The new 13,000 sf fire station has 3 double deep drive through apparatus bays. Other spaces include offices, classroom/EOC, dayroom, kitchen and apparatus support spaces. Extensive training features were designed into the facility, including ladder rescue, floor breach, confined space rescue, search and rescue with cold smoke and maze, wet training tower with standpipe, and interior/exterior rappelling options. Durable and attractive materials such as brick, decorative cast concrete masonry units, and high performance coatings were used inside and out. The high-efficiency boiler, infloor heat, daylighting, highly insulated envelope, low VOC materials and coatings, and LED lighting throughout are significant sustainable design features that will save operational costs and add comfort to the facility.

ROSEVILLE FIRE STATION

The Roseville Fire Station is a new facility that consolidates three former stations and the fire administration into a single location. This building includes six apparatus bays, office, support functions and dormitories. State of the art training features are designed into the building, allowing fire fighters to do almost all of their recertification training on site. In addition the project focuses on sustainable design principles, providing significant benefits to the occupants, citizens and environment.

A.B.L.E. BURN BUILDING

The A.B.L.E. burn building (named for the communities of Apple Valley, Burnsville, Lakeville, and Eagan) was opened on July 18, 2013. The new training facility is made of concrete and can withstand temperatures up to 1,200 degrees Farenheit. The four-story structure is designed to mimic a variety of buildings and room styles, from a single family home to an apartment building to a commercial property. Proper training is critical for firefighters and first responders. The new building will provide opportunities to learn and practice forced entry, fire suppression, search and rescue, high rise evacuations, ladder rescues, and rooftop operations. The 5,700 square foot facility replaces a more limited 750 square foot building that had served out its useful lifetime, enduring 25 years of scorching heat and abuse.

COMING SOON: PLYMOUTH FIRE STATION NO. 2

CNH Architects designed a two-story fire station for the City of Plymouth Fire Department to replace an older station on the same site. The new facility will be repositioned to allow for better and faster road access, improving firefighter response times. As firefighter health and safety are a top priority in this project, gear will have its own room separate from apparatus bays to keep it clean and contaminant free. There is also separation between the apparatus/decontamination areas and the residence and administrative areas to reduce toxin transmission. A larger dayroom and kitchen better suited to meet the department’s needs provides relaxation for firefighters. Training elements include a hose drying tower that doubles as a training tower with several different styles of openings that can be filled with smoke, and a mezzanine with additional styles of training openings.

Coon Rapids Fire Station No. 3 features 32,000 sf with two pull-through apparatus bays and four double-deep bays. It includes four dorm suites with the potential to expand to six suites and the station’s crew grows and transitions to more full-time firefighters. Each suite includes individual bedrooms and bathrooms. Firefighter physical and mental health was a top priority, and the station includes a wellness room, meditation plaza, and indoor/outdoor fitness spaces. As well as sound isolation and ramped alert tones and lighting features for optimal rest and relaxation between calls. Apparatus bays include hot and cold zone for toxin reduction, white the department’s history is prominently displayed near the front entrance in a dedicated museum space. LEED sustainability guidelines were incorporated throughout the design.