Improved sustainability, efficiency and emergency response times were top of mind in construction and design of the new Fire Station 85 for the city of Henderson, Nev.  

The project was the second prototype design for the fire department, making it easier to fine-tune the building’s layout so that firefighters could respond more quickly to service calls. 

Interior spaces are organized in a layered manner from west to east, respecting the firefighters’ workflow as well as the need for quiet time between service calls. Design of the fire station enables the two main halls to act as spines that connect the dorms, kitchen and dayroom areas directly to the apparatus bay. 

The fire station sits at the base of a hill and was laid out to minimize site disturbance and maximize daylighting in the common living spaces.  

The site also includes native vegetation to cut water consumption in half. The project is on track to receive both LEED and Green Globes certifications.

The project superintendent emphasized safety through detailed site orientations for onsite workers. The results of daily site walks and the monitoring of any potentially unsafe items were logged and sent to trade partners so that improvements could be made and praise for safe practices could be shared with the entire jobsite. 

The project had no recordables and zero lost-time incidents with nearly 33,000 hours worked.