Title
Capital Projects Update on Fire Station 63 (Erin O'Brien, Business Program Manager)
label
RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
It is recommended that the Commission hear a presentation on the proposed design for Fire Station 63 for the purpose of informing the Cultural Arts Commission procurement process for the project's civic art component.
Body
BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION
The Fire Station 63 is the third of three buildings of the Community Civic Campus, which also includes the Police Station and the Library | Parks and Recreation Center. Fire Station 63, currently located at the MSB, will be located at 71 Camaritas Avenue at the intersection of Westborough Boulevard.
The site is L-shaped, with frontages along Camaritas Avenue and Westborough Boulevard, with access to Arroyo Drive to the west. The new station will be a 10,150 square foot, two-story structure with a 3-bay, 2-deep apparatus bay. The building includes apparatus support spaces, administration areas, and living, dining, and sleeping facilities for the firefighters.
On the exterior, the building materials include terra cotta rainscreen cladding, which provides a welcoming material reminiscent of the traditional brick firehouse. At the Apparatus Bay, curtain wall and glazed bifold doors provide both transparency and natural daylight for the firefighters. A neutral gray metal paneling then recedes in the background at the upper level to contrast the terra-cotta. A grand entry stair, ramp, and landscaping softens the transition from city to station.
Along the prominent Westborough fa?ade, a Bris Soliel, an architectural shading feature, is comprised of a tube steel frame and (as current) a metal panel screen. The metal screen represents a unique opportunity for civic art to further enhance the culture of the City as well as the civic presence of the project. The project structural engineer has provided structural loads and guidelines.
Project Architect Ken Litwin from SmithGroup will attend the Commi...
Click here for full text