Valley Park Fire Station 2
Valley Park Fire Protection District’s new headquarters is a two-story 22,000 sq. ft. Category IV Mission Critical Fire Station with a design inspired by the integration of the District’s program and the sloping site. The ground floor engages the context with multipurpose community areas and administration. The second floor and mezzanine house private areas for the firefighters along with the apparatus bay and supporting facilities.
The building was inspired by a Frank Lloyd Wright quote: “No house should ever be on a hill or on anything. It should be of the hill. Belonging to it. Hill and house should live together, each the happier for the other.” The building is “built into” the hill and slopes downward with the slope of the site. Missouri limestone grounds the first floor and terraced landscape. Metal panel articulates the second story and the roof cants out at the main entry to create a canopy.
The facade is further delineated by varying scales of fenestration relating to the interior program. Offices are defined by wide windows that extend views and provide daylight throughout the ground floor. Mirroring the rhythm of the ground floor fenestration, narrow windows at the second story define the sleeping quarters where less light is desired.
