As Calgary's northeast communities continue to grow, the City of Calgary needed a permanent fire station that could support faster emergency response times while providing a healthy, resilient, and efficient workplace for firefighters. Cornerstone Fire Station serves the growing community through a purpose-built 24/7 emergency response facility designed to meet the operational needs of today's first responders while preparing for future growth.
Our cross-disciplinary team provided architecture, interiors, structural, mechanical, electrical, civil, and landscape architecture, and sustainability services for the project. Working with the Calgary Fire Department, our team designed a facility that balances operational efficiency, firefighter well-being, sustainability, and community presence.
The building was planned around critical program adjacencies and firefighter circulation patterns to support rapid response and day-to-day operations. Living spaces, training facilities, fitness areas, and apparatus bays were arranged to streamline movement while reducing access to daylight, fresh air, and views.
Designed to respond to its residential context, the station is expressed as two distinct volumes: the apparatus bays that support emergency operations and the two-story living and support spaces that serve firefighters and staff. This composition clearly expresses the building's functions while balancing the scale of critical infrastructure with the character of the surrounding neighborhood. The building's prairie-modern roof forms draw inspiration from nearby residential rooflines, creating a civic landmark immediately identifiable as a fire station. A mass timber colonnade frames the public entrance and adjacent landscape, creating a welcoming interface between the station and community while reinforcing the project's commitment to sustainable design.
Achieving LEED Platinum certification and designed to be zero-carbon ready, Cornerstone Fire Station incorporates high-performance building systems, a durable building envelope, water conservation measures, and climate-resilient landscape strategies.
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