Grand Prairie Fire Station No. 3
*2022 FIREHOUSE MAGAZINE STATION DESIGN | CAREER 1 NOTABLE AWARD
The Grand Prairie neighborhood around Fire Station 3 has grown significantly in recent years, including the City’s popular Central Park where the Epic Recreation Center and Waterpark have recently opened. The City’s efforts have spurred other large retail and housing developments along and nearby to the Highway 161 corridor.
Following up on BRW’s feasibility and master planning study for the site, the new replacement Fire Station 3 and Fire Training center will serve the growing volume of calls in the area as well as a new home for the fire training and quartermaster staff. The original Station 3 needed to be replaced not only due to its size and age, but also because a replacement water tower is planned at the existing site. A future resource center storage building was planned for the site in anticipation of the future need to consolidate quartermaster and storage needs.
The new fire station is designed to fit within its largely industrial adjacent context. The building will provide a Civic presence at the corner of Marshal and the Highway 161 access road. Clerestory windows afford natural daylight into the larger interior spaces without compromising valuable wall space. The classroom training building provides relief for overcrowding and scheduling issues at the existing Police and Fire training center by serving the Fire Department’s needs and allowing a space of their own.