Charlotte-Douglas Intl Airport Rescue & Fire Station

This ARFF was constructed on airport property, adjacent to a main taxiway between two major runways. While the site was ideal for response time, the location required the building and site planning to conform to rigorous FAA and Federal Guidelines. Further, since the facility houses National Guard staff, the design also had to adhere to Federal Anti-Terrorism and Force Protection standards.

One of the federal guidelines mandated that the building comply with USGBC LEED Standards. Upon completion, the ARFF achieved LEED Silver certification. The sustainable components of the project include natural daylighting, high efficiency HVAC systems and lighting, and a solar hot water system.

Although the project was initially budgeted at $6 million, we were able to design the project to meet a substantially smaller budget, without compromising quality. This translated into more available funds that were put toward significant, additional features on the building, including a 100 KW photovoltaic array to offset energy costs. The building consists of five double-loaded apparatus bays, administrative offices, a day-room, a kitchen, and sleeping quarters for use by 18 crewmen. The facility also hosts training activities for National Guard weekend operations.