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25 July 2025
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Fire stations of the world: Richardson Fire Station 1, Dallas County in Texas, US
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The new City of Richardson Fire Station 1 and Fire Administration Headquarters building is a civic administrative facility that is open to the public and a fire station that houses 12 fire fighters and is located at 300 N Greenville Avenue in Richardson, Dallas County in Texas, US. The building anchors the North end of the Richardson Public Safety Campus. The duality of the building, a civic facility open to the public during typical business hours and a fire station housing up to 12 fire fighters on 24-hour shifts, presented additional unique challenges. The architectural approach in response is realised through material selection, location on the site and plan organisation. The concept is embedded in the goals as set forth by the Richardson Fire Department. The presence of native stone characterises strength and pride for the city, while simultaneously referencing a home and hearth refuge for the fire fighters stationed on site.
The continuation of wood decking as soffits and exposed structure continue to soften the formality of the civic toward an impression of authenticity and informality in the building composition, emphasising the fact that a city’s fire station is also a home. The building is orientated to provide six drive-through apparatus bays exiting directly onto the street, and the adjacent public entry dually identifies the facility and reaches out to the citizenry, while the residential areas of the Fire Station are more secluded away from the street. The Administration Headquarters is accessed through the public lobby to the second floor. The fire station living areas tucked underneath the offices above include ground floor access to covered outdoor dining and exercise areas screened from the remainder of the campus for privacy. The living areas are arrayed for direct and speedy access to the apparatus, bays to maximize response time.
The building has six drive-through apparatus bays direct to street exiting and the adjacent public entry dually identifies the facility and reaches out to the citizenry; the residential areas of the fire station are more secluded/away from the street. The second-floor administration is accessed through the shared public lobby. The fire station living areas are situated underneath the offices and above access-covered outdoor dining and exercise areas, providing direct, speedy access to the bays, minimising response time.
The building has a separate training facility for use by all of their stations and has a variety of in-station continuing-education areas that was prioritised by programming dual uses. Each private sleeping room includes a study desk and doors and walls are rated for low sound transmission, providing quiet sleep/study spaces for individuals.
The FIT desk serves as a gathering space for shift discussions or studying, with room for extra seating and educational material storage.
The open dayroom, dining and kitchen area provides space for other station fire fighters to comfortably join the home crew and to access educational materials through the dayroom’s HDMI-supported large-screen TV and AV system.
The Richardson Fire Department is organised into three divisions ie administration, operations and prevention. The functions of the Fire Department are fire prevention through public education and code enforcement, fire control and extinguishment, hazardous materials response, rescue operations and emergency medical service. Working together, these divisions ensure the citizens of Richardson have quality services delivered in an efficient and effective manner.
Sources: City of Richardson, BRW Architects, FireHouse
The continuation of wood decking as soffits and exposed structure continue to soften the formality of the civic toward an impression of authenticity and informality in the building composition, emphasising the fact that a city’s fire station is also a home. The building is orientated to provide six drive-through apparatus bays exiting directly onto the street, and the adjacent public entry dually identifies the facility and reaches out to the citizenry, while the residential areas of the Fire Station are more secluded away from the street. The Administration Headquarters is accessed through the public lobby to the second floor. The fire station living areas tucked underneath the offices above include ground floor access to covered outdoor dining and exercise areas screened from the remainder of the campus for privacy. The living areas are arrayed for direct and speedy access to the apparatus, bays to maximize response time.
The building has six drive-through apparatus bays direct to street exiting and the adjacent public entry dually identifies the facility and reaches out to the citizenry; the residential areas of the fire station are more secluded/away from the street. The second-floor administration is accessed through the shared public lobby. The fire station living areas are situated underneath the offices and above access-covered outdoor dining and exercise areas, providing direct, speedy access to the bays, minimising response time.
The building has a separate training facility for use by all of their stations and has a variety of in-station continuing-education areas that was prioritised by programming dual uses. Each private sleeping room includes a study desk and doors and walls are rated for low sound transmission, providing quiet sleep/study spaces for individuals.
The FIT desk serves as a gathering space for shift discussions or studying, with room for extra seating and educational material storage.
The open dayroom, dining and kitchen area provides space for other station fire fighters to comfortably join the home crew and to access educational materials through the dayroom’s HDMI-supported large-screen TV and AV system.
The Richardson Fire Department is organised into three divisions ie administration, operations and prevention. The functions of the Fire Department are fire prevention through public education and code enforcement, fire control and extinguishment, hazardous materials response, rescue operations and emergency medical service. Working together, these divisions ensure the citizens of Richardson have quality services delivered in an efficient and effective manner.
Sources: City of Richardson, BRW Architects, FireHouse
