Fire Station in Santo Tirso / Alvaro Siza

Architects: Alvaro Siza
Location: Santo Tirso, Portugal
Project Coordinator: José Carlos Nunes de Oliveira
Design Team: Marco Rampulla, Pablo Elinbaum, Patrícia Teixeira, José Pedro Silva
Area: 1400.0 sqm
Year: 2013
Photographs: Joao Morgado – Architecture Photography

Structure Engineering: Jorge Nunes da Silva, Raquel Dias
Electricity And Security: Alexandre Martins
Hvac: Raul Bessa
Water And Sanitation: Raquel Fernandes
Contractor: EMPRIPAR, Obras Pública e Privadas S.A.
Client: Associação Humanitária Bombeiros Voluntários de Santo Tirso
Site Area: 3800 sqm
Budget: 1.1M Euro

The Firefighters barracks matches the CB1 Type program and is located in Quinta de Geão, at the lot 28, of 4,770 sqm.

The building comprises a total gross area of 1,173 sqm and lodges the support functions to the fire brigade. Starting from the “Lobby – Access”, it is organized in 3 floors.

It develops exclusively at the ground floor level in the continuity of the sector A, with its own access from the corner of the B and C streets, houses the tasks of the associative sector and comprises a total gross area of 145 sqm:

• Lobby – common to the sector A
• Reception and board secretariat
• Board room
• Full accessibility sanitary

Between sectors A and B there is acirculation space, openonto a courtyard, communicating withallbuilding functions.

In the terrain remaining space, between the building and the EN 104, lies the Operational Parade, of 914 sqm, withaccess from the C street anddirectly from thecarpark.

Next to the Operational Parade is locatedtheHome-School (CE) andthe workshopand washing (OL).

The Honor Parade is located next to thebuilding main façade from the C Street. Regarding the landscaping project and exterior arrangements, the proposal envisages the establishment of paved green areas that will serve asa framework and support space. The paved areas, excluding the car accesses and the terrace area outside the Bar, are coated with stone trimmed asphalt concrete. The green areas will be targeted for the existing vegetation reinforcement in the slope areas, proceeding to the replacement work of degraded species. Occasionally some trees will be brought, fed by an automatic irrigation system and flagged by boilers in the paved areas.