Burlington Fire Station

Project Overview

The Burlington Fire Station project addresses the growing health crisis among firefighters by focusing on enhancing both physical and mental resilience through a rigorously researched design approach. In collaboration with OPN Architects—recipients of the 2023 Biophilic Design Award for the Marion Fire Station—we aimed to deeply understand the behavioral, emotional, and physical needs of firefighters.

The primary objective was to provide targeted design recommendations for the schematic design of the Burlington Fire Station (Iowa), with particular emphasis on the often-overlooked sleep quarters. This study also sought to expand the client’s vision by integrating biophilic principles and research-driven design insights into the facility.

Key Findings:

• Health Crisis in Firefighting: Firefighters face significant job-related stress and insufficient rest, contributing to mental health challenges, including sleep disorders and PTSD.
• Healthy Coping: Proactive emotional coping and stress management, whether in solitude or through social support, are crucial for firefighters to avoid long-term burnout.
• Schema Creation: The study identified sleep as a process rather than a single event, emphasizing stages like resetting the senses, engaging emotionally, and easing into sleep as vital for better rest and healthy coping.
• Design Solutions: Recommendations included acoustic buffers, customizable lighting, and personalizable spaces to enhance a sense of belonging and safety, alongside improved lighting, sound, and ventilation parameters to improve sleep quality.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Ongoing surveys and discussions with firefighters will further refine the design, ensuring it meets their specific needs and effectively supports their health and wellbeing.

Design Impact:

• Improved Physical Wellbeing: The design promotes superior sleep quality by incorporating dual lighting systems, minimizing acoustic and light disturbances, and ensuring proper ventilation, all of which contribute to enhanced physical resilience.
• Improved Emotional Wellbeing: The inclusion of acoustically segregated spaces, natural elements, and meaningful design features provides firefighters with opportunities for healthy coping strategies, supporting emotional resilience and improving work-life balance.
• Community and Sustainability: The project embodies a commitment to sustainable, community-centered design solutions that foster a strong sense of belonging and long-term resilience.
• Conscious Design: This study advances an enriched evidence-based design framework, integrating a conscious design approach that prioritizes the holistic wellbeing of users.

Read more about this case study.

Images: Diagrams illustrating developed analysis and design solutions by AWM.