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ORANGE
COUNTY FIRE AUTHORITY
REGIONAL TRAINING FACILITY
IRVINE, CALIFORNIA
Photography: Ron Eggers
The design of the new 200,000 square foot Orange County Fire Authority – Regional Operations and Training Center in Irvine, California, has been conceived as an integral part of the residential community in which it is sited. The scale of the buildings is low - no more than two stories.
The materials used in its exterior are similar in color and texture to the surrounding homes and the architectural forms recall that of early California architecture. CMU was chosen for the skin of the entire complex, because it accomplishes several project goals. It is durable, available in colors that match the surrounding building context, and comes in several textures that reinforce the formal structure of the design. The CMU perimeter walls are also load bearing, which accomplished the goal of structural and material efficiency. The skin is the structure eliminating the need for exterior cladding of any sort. In the more utilitarian areas of the project the CMU is left exposed on the interior.
To complete the envelope, high performance glazing in powder coated aluminum frames are used in the window openings. The buildings are set back from the street and the adjacent residences to buffer the project visually and acoustically. Functional requirements of the program have driven the formal responses of the architecture, allowing efficiency and versatility in the plan. This is essential in achieving a project that will serve the county for decades to come. This project symbolizes the civic relationship between the participating municipalities of the Orange County Fire Authority.
ARCHITECT:
HOK
Architects
9530 Jefferson Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232
John
Conley, AIA
Principal in Charge
Ernest
Cirangle, AIA, LEED®AP
Director of Design
Tom
Nelson, AIA, LEED®AP
Dave Hollister, AIA, LEED®AP
Clay Pendergrast, AIA, LEED®AP
Pam Light, FIIDA, LEED®AP
Brian Cook
Project Team
STRUCTURAL
ENGINEER:
Nabih Youssef
GENERAL
CONTRACTOR:
S. J. Amoroso Construction
MASONRY
CONTRACTOR:
Kretschmar & Smith, Inc.
BLOCK
PRODUCER:
ORCO Block Company, Inc.
OWNER:
Orange County Fire Authority
