Wold Architects and Engineers was hired by the City of Virginia to combine fire and police operations into one shared facility for public safety. The Virginia Fire Department and Police Department were located in buildings that were over 100 years old and they could no longer meet the needs of the departments or support modern fire and police operations.
The facility design objectives developed by the project team included a shared lobby for public interactions that was open and accessible, shared fitness and training spaces, decontamination space for fire operations, and appropriately sized garage spaces for modern equipment.
Additional training modalities include a training tower for ladder rescue, confined space and repelling opportunities from the mezzanine, and sprinkler and hose training within the tower, as well as a “splash” pad and hydrant on site.
With the need to meet MN B3 guidelines, several components were incorporated such as an extensive solar array, increased insulation, Browfield site redevelopment, efficient site water use, and daylight harvesting.