Dynamic Desert Design

Recently, increased tourism, a new casino and economic growth has fueled the need for additional fire and life safety capabilities for the CRIT. The development of a new state-of-the-art fire safety substation was identified as a top priority by the CRIT Tribal Council. The council needed a facility that not only met all current and 10-year future operational needs, but also the image of success and conveyed pride for community members.

The fire safety substation is a 13,327-square-foot, multifunctional facility with a fire station, crew quarters, fire department administration space, community meeting rooms, an emergency operation center, triage and stabilization clinic, and six apparatus bays.

FIRE STATION IN THE MOHAVE DESERT

Temperatures exceed 120 F in the western Arizona desert area. Winds and sandstorms are present year-round with more than 25 mph winds blowing regularly, and gusts of 75 mph occurring. In addition to withstanding these adverse Mohave Desert weather conditions, the fire station also had to meet energy efficiency guidelines and require minimal maintenance.

The building envelope selected to meet these requirements needed to be extremely durable to withstand the natural elements. To meet the project’s durability and aesthetic goals, Prescott, Ariz.-based Stroh Architecture Inc. used a combination of metal. Tempe, Ariz.-based Arizona Corporate Builders LLC erected Oklahoma City-based Star Building Systems’ metal building system, and for the roof it installed 14,833 square feet of Houston-based MBCI’s 24-gauge Battenlock HS metal roof panels in White. For the walls, it installed 5,188 square feet of Salem, Ore.-based Taylor Metal Inc.’s 1.125-inch-deep, 24-gauge MX-1 metal wall panels with concealed clips in Terra Cotta. The general contractor was Low Mountain Construction Inc., Phoenix.

Doug Stroh, president and principal architect at Stroh Architecture, says metal roofing and siding were an obvious solution to create the sustainable facility. “The Kynar 500 premium paint coatings on the metal roof and wall panels are projected to be maintenance free for well over 30 years. White was chosen for the standing seam roof color to maximize reduction of solar heat gain. Earth-tone, redcolored horizontal metal siding was inspired by surrounding mountains and traditional firefighter colors.

[The fire station] is oriented on an east-west axis to maximize solar orientation. Foam insulation was utilized beneath the roof and in the walls. Thermally broken, low U-value dual-pane windows complete the building envelope. The building is designed to Energy Star standards.”

The building’s design meets the fire department’s operation program and has been well received by the CRIT community members.