Seattle Fire Station 10
Seattle, WA
“Making Seattle the Most Prepared City in America”– Greg Nickels, Former Mayor of Seattle
Seattle Fire Station 10 is a 60,333 square foot complex, housing an engine company, a ladder unit, an aid unit, the Fire Department’s primary and reserve hazmat units, the Fire Alarm Center (FAC), and the Emergency Operations Center (EOC). All critical building systems were designed to accommodate movement to ensure they would withstand an earthquake load 50 percent higher than most buildings. Opened in 2008, this facility replaced the previous Fire Station 10 located a few blocks away in the liquefaction zone of Pioneer Square. The old facility had limits to its renovations due to historic character and geographic challenges.
Scope:
SSA provided architectural acoustics and mechanical noise and vibration control design for the project, which included the fire station, police headquarters, and emergency operations center for the City of Seattle. Our involvement with the project began in early design all the way through post-occupancy.
Challenges
The emergency operations center had to be designed to facilitate effective speech communication, which required the project to have low background noise levels and effective acoustical treatment. In addition, the sleep rooms for on-duty firefighters required low noise levels from the mechanical system. All of these conditions had to be addressed within budget.
Solutions:
Mechanical noise control and architectural acoustic systems were incorporated into the design early, and were able to be included within the project budget, and remained in the final building even after the value engineering phase. Follow-up testing and punch-listing allowed adjustments to be made to address noise issues prior to occupancy.