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FIRE
STATION No. 126
LOS ANGELES COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT
SANTA CLARITA, CALIFORNIA
Photography:
Art Gray
Jury
Comments: A mix of colored burnished concrete
masonry units, terra cotta roof tiles and colored plaster
have been combined to form a visually appealing and
distinctive civic structure. The design conveys a high level
of sensitivity to its surroundings, while taking advantage
of the concrete block as a durable interior finish.
Located in the Civic Center of Santa Clarita,
California, Fire Station 126 provides not only the fire
service for this city, but also serves as the North
Operations Bureau for the Los Angeles County Fire
Department. Designed as a main headquarters, it includes
accommodations for a battalion chief, ten firefighters and
paramedics, as well as a deputy chief and staff.
Architectural elements are coordinated to provide the scale and stature of a true civic building. A mix of colored burnished concrete masonry anchors the building walls, colored plaster provides an accent and the terra cotta tile roof relates to the community theme.
Station offices and other active areas are separated from quiet dormitory areas by the drive through apparatus room. This room has an exposed steel structure, mechanical ducts, diesel exhaust system and suspended light fixtures, with electric bi-fold doors at each end. Large windows and skylights provide ample daylight for all building areas. In the dormitory, sleeping cubicles and single bathrooms assure privacy.
Color is a recurring theme in the city of Santa Clarita, for commercial, residential and civic buildings as well. Throughout the Fire Station 126 project, color is used as a link to the surrounding community with a 25% mix of burnished concrete masonry, in tones of red, gray, yellow and green, assembled in a random pattern established between the mason and architect. Masonry was exposed wherever possible: exterior wall base, structural columns and walls, entry tower and interior bearing walls, expressing architectural continuity inside and out. In this important civic project, colored concrete masonry units have been used in a unique way to provide a permanent, distinctive character within the Civic Center context.
ARCHITECT:
William Loyd Jones, Architect
723
Ocean Front Walk
Venice, CA 90291
William
Loyd Jones
Principal
STRUCTURAL
ENGINEER:
Harold Epstein & Associates
GENERAL
CONTRACTOR:
Select Construction
MASONRY
CONTRACTOR:
Nibblink Masonry
BLOCK
PRODUCER:
Angelus Block Company, Inc.
OWNER:
County of Los Angeles Fire Department
