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Roof extensions provide shade and enhance the Sundial‑like lines of the fire station.
(Click picture for full size image)

Simple design saves time in Carefree
by RaeAnne Marsh

The fire station going up in the Town of Carefree at the northern end of Tom Darlington Drive incorporates into its design the familiar shape of one of the town’s dominant features–the sundial. In fact, the triangle shape permeates the entire project.

The site, itself, is triangular–narrower where Tom Darlington meets Lucky Lane. The long side of the building runs the widest length of the lot along Tom Darlington. Truck bays–three–are on this side as they, of course, exit to the main street.

Approximately 9,500 square feet, the fire station includes kitchen, dining room, offices, dormitories, turn‑out and decontaminatio rooms. It also includes a 400‑square‑foot emergency operating center, which can be used during natural disasters. When not being used for such emergency purposes, the room may be used for training exercises and will also be available as a community room. The fire station design allows public access to this room, the lobby and rest‑rooms, while keeping the rest of the facility secure.

The soaring lines of Carefree’s sundial are echoed in the fire station’s roofline, which goes from its lowest point on the south side of the building to a much higher scale on the north end. This gave rise to an extra benefit through the space thus created in the truck bays. Lack of sufficient storage space is a common complaint of fire chiefs, according to project architect Lawrence Enyart, FAIA, president of LEA‑Architects, who speaks from the experience of having built more than 100 fire stations for cities throughout the Valley.

“We took advantage of the height to create a second level for storage,” Enyart said.

Simplicity was a primary consider‑ation in the fire station’s design. “Just a few seconds count,” explained Enyart, “so there’s no tricky pattern to the traffic navigation and no quagmire of floorplan.”

In addition to drive‑thru bays, his plan enables what he calls a “direct connect” from living quarters to the fire apparatus. With the truck bays in between, the design also facilitates a more peaceful living area on the south side of the building separated from the training area and decontamination room on the north.

Simplicity governs in the exterior design as well, producing a contemporary architecture of clean lines, lines that Enyart points out echo the shape of the surrounding mountains and the site, and respond to the civic icons of the Town of Carefree. It also responds to the exigencies of the environment: Triangular extensions of the roof help shade the building, as does the staggered pattern of the building front.

Windows high in the north‑facing wall allow natural light to illuminate the interior. This is one of the sustainable elements the project exhibits. Another is the steel roof. Said Enyart, “It’s a lifetime metal; it weathers naturally.” Weathering will turn it to a deep, rich brown, he explains. And it’s a natural material, as is the masonry used for wall construction. Masonry also enjoys the property of thermal mass: “Once it’s cool, it stays cool,” Enyart explained. The integral color of these masonry blocks contributes a low‑maintenance aspect, and their split‑face texture adds visual interest.

Ground broke this past February on the fire station. Enyart credits Carefree’s former mayor, Ed Morgan, present mayor Wayne Fulcher, and town council members for being especially helpful. “It was like a family of people working on the project.” Estimated time of completion is the first week of November, this year.

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