Windermere Fire Station No. 31

The Windermere Fire Station is a paragon of environmental sustainability and striking civic architecture. Key features of the design, the peaked roof and unique masonry, echo the historical context of fire stations nestled in residential neighborhoods. The exterior brick cladding evokes a distinct stature and gravitas while also allowing play of scale. The sculptural opportunities of brick are apparent in the switch at the window datum from a regular bond to an open, woven pattern. The latter provides visual texture and makes the most of the vibrant Alberta sunshine and intense Prairie shadows. This material approach enables a simultaneous interplay between the fine-grained detail of the brick and the monumentality of the building overall. The open weave pattern gives a texture, grain and visual interest to the large surfaces that it extends across. The pitched gable facing the street is a particularly expansive area of this brick treatment and plays a prominent role in the expression of the project’s primary concept, the ‘pinching up’ of the roof form. The subtle texturing of this area draws the eye across it and along the roofline, amplifying the importance of understanding this large, pitched form in the overall interpretation of the project. The brick is hand-laid by local masons. This was critical to the design intent where extra care had to be paid to achieve the distinctive sweep of the gable, and other custom details windows, entrances and firefighter’s patio.