The City of St. John’s and St. John’s Regional Fire Department (SJRFD) wanted to invest in critical infrastructure for their growing community. They set out to transition from a volunteer fire hall, with 43 years of service, to a full-time station that would serve as a robust post-disaster building, providing resilience when it’s needed most. Our team is providing design and engineering services for a fire station that would stand as a model for innovation and sustainability.
The new fire station is aiming to be the first certified Passive House (PH) Canada Building in Newfoundland and Labrador and the first Canadian fire station certified in a cold climate. We applied PH principles relating to insulation, detailing, and air tightness for this sector and building typology with distinct use characteristics. This presented a significant challenge since there would be a large volume industrial occupancy space (apparatus bay) with rapid opening doors, adjacent to business and residential spaces and open floor area all on the same level.
For the building, we selected a robust palette of materials based on long-term performance, suitability to our climate, and ability to leverage local labor and supply chains. These selections also address requirements such as snow clearing and the needs of SJRFD’s facilities maintenance team. We designed and engineered the high performing wall, floor, and roof assemblies for exceptional thermal insulation and durability.
Overall, there was a recognition that the Goulds Fire Station is essential public infrastructure, a place to deliver a critical public service and promote public safety to the wider community. Our design delivers a building plan that supports the firefighters on shift and adjacencies that are easy to manage and operate, now and in the future.
The City and SJRFD hope that the new building will be viewed as a beacon in the community, hosting open days and community education sessions. This outreach combined with the active frontage will showcase the life of the station and help deliver meaningful civic presence.
" }