The two facilities summarized in this submittal represent the culmination of continuous experience gained through three decades of evolution and development. For your consideration, the nature of the programmatic circumstances are such that these facilities are presented as a singular archetypal "project."

In the mid-1980s an intent to develop a standardized fire station for the city of Albuquerque set in motion a process that led to the development of a prototype. The rationale was that once developed, the solution would be consistently reused for new facilities with little need for change beyond minor site adaptation.

Almost immediately it became apparent that the facility had to evolve more significantly from one iteration to the next in order to respond to new circumstances. Impacted by continual innovation and change to emergency services, user operations, departmental leadership, technology, systems and a variety of social-economic-ecological issues, the approach eventually evolved into what became known as a "component-based prototype." Through the 1990s, this provided for standardization while allowing for increased flexibility to change, and continues to be a successful approach today. These two facilities were constructed simultaneously and represent the latest prototypical iteration.

Project Details

• Firm: Rohde May Keller McNamara Architecture, PC
• Design Team: Don H. May, AIA, Architect of Record; Don P. Schlegel, FAIA, QA/QC; Ramon Sarason, AIA, LEED, Project Manager; David Williams, AIA, Design Support; LRA Inc., Larry Read, PE, Civil Engineering; JJK Group Inc., Jim Kapuranis, PE, Structural Engineering; FEI Inc., Ed Fogleman, Mechanical/Plumbing/FP Engineering; TRG Inc., Darryl Reuhle, PE, Electrica/Data/Comm. Engineering; HDI Inc., Tom Hughes, CA Consultant
• Client: Albuquerque Fire Department
• Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico
• Fire Chief: Robert Ortega

Project Data

• Project Area: 10,500 sq. ft. each
• Total Cost: $3.99 million
• Cost per Square Foot: $190
• Completion Date: October 2005

Entry Information

• Competition: 2009 Station Style Design Awards
• Category: Satellite Stations
• Category Citation: Notable