View source for Waterford Fire Station

==[[Structural_steel_design_awards|Structural Steel Design Awards]] 2017 - Merit==
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Shaped around active service where function is paramount, the building form derives from tracking the movements of fire tenders leaving the appliance bays at speed and returning after firefighting.  A strong form wrapped in zinc is folded - origami-like - to enclose a drill yard with different training zones.  

Organised in a spiral, rising from single storey vehicle parking, workshops and dormitories to first floor offices, canteen, leisure and study facilities and terminating at a second floor [[Leisure_buildings#Theatres and auditoria|lecture theatre]], the zinc roof is angled and cut away to provide sheltered inside-outside spaces overlooking the yard, where the drill tower acts as urban beacon in a new public space.

The [[Braced_frames|steel structure]] is supported on strip foundations and supports [[Floor_systems#Precast units|precast concrete planks]] which form the floor slab.  The building is formed from inclined planes and folded volumes and the flexibility in [[Design|design]] of the steelwork facilitated the complex geometries of the structure, while expediting following trades such as zinc, drywall, blockwork, mechanical and electrical services.  This allowed a [[Single_storey_industrial_buildings#Speed of construction|shorter and simpler build programme]].  Steel [[Trusses|trusses]] are utilised to give long spans in the appliance bay to facilitate the appliances driving to and from the drill yard to outside active duty.
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The building brings together many differing uses, requiring a variety of structural solutions to achieve the desired functionality for the client.

The large open-plan appliance bay, with sufficient space for 10 appliances, is achieved using long span steel [[Trusses|trusses]].  Above this open space, a mixture of blockwork and steel provides the structure to the office area.  A second wing, consisting of load bearing blockwork and [[Floor_systems#Precast units|precast hollowcore slabs]], provides training facilities and living quarters over two storeys. 

Both wings of the building, together with a covered car parking area to the rear, serve to enclose the large central training yard.  The roof to all covered areas consists of a [[Braced_frames|steel frame]] sloped to suit the profile of the roof.  This [[Braced_frames|steel frame]] supports a timber build-up underlying the [[Building_envelopes#Weather sheet|finished sheeting]].
 
{|class="wikitable" width=400px 
|-
|'''Architect'''||McCullough Mulvin Architects
|-
|'''Structural Engineer'''||O’Connor Sutton Cronin
|-
|'''Steelwork Contractor'''||Steel & Roofing Systems
|-
|'''Main Contractor'''||Duggan Brothers Contractors Ltd.
|-
|'''Client'''||Waterford City & County Council
|}

==Judges' comment==
The scheme is characterised by the architectural concept of a ribbon of accommodation wrapping around a courtyard in which emergency vehicles circulate and drills are carried out.  The distinctive ‘origami-folded’ roof, formed from cranked steel beams, twists and rises over the different levels of accommodation.

A most interesting addition to the town.

[[Category:Case studies – Single storey industrial buildings]]
[[Category:SSDA]]