Fire Station for Panadura

• Name: Prabath Wanigasinghe
• Year: 2017
• Studio: Level III
• University: University of Moratuwa

Introduction

A fire station (also called a fire house, fire hall, or firemen’s hall) is a structure or other area set aside for storage of firefighting apparatus such as fire engines and related vehicles.

Personal protective equipment, fire hoses and other specialized equipment. It may also have dormitory living facilities and work areas for the use of fire fighters. Living areas are sometimes arranged above the garage bays where personnel without specific station duties during the night shift are allowed to sleep unless a dispatch is called Activities in a fire station include regular inspection and cleaning of the apparatus and equipment, and continuing education in the fire service. Weekly or bi-weekly routine typically includes various drills in which firefighters practice their skills.

Project

A firefighter is a rescuer extensively trained in firefighting, primarily to extinguish hazardous fires that threaten property and human or natural populations, and to rescue people from dangerous situations. There is a gap between the fire fighters and general public because of the ignorance about the firefighting activities.

Therefore this attempt to improve the public awareness of the services rendered by the fire fighters by exposing the activities of the fire station to general public and minimizing the gap between firefighters and the public.

Design idea

Design idea is to improve the public awareness of the service rendered by the fire fighters.

Urban response

Main idea to increase the connection between two activity zones in Panadura by minimizing the

plot area of the building and use remaining area to create public pathway to connect city square in

front of the site and the public park which is located rear side of the site.

Proposals for the surrounding lands are,

1. Front side of the site is use for a city square which include most of the needs for the city
2. Rear side of the site is use for an apartment complex for the city and basement level of this apartment complex connect with the basement level of the fire station

There is a proposed public road with the cafeteria through the fire station to reach the apartment complex. When the people tend to use that road, while they are walking they can see what happens in a Fire station. Also the elevated apparatus bay level helps to get a good view from the public pathway. Contrasting structural system will helps to make the building more attractive. Therefore people will look at the building. Therefore they can see what happening in the fire station.

Also there are several architectural details made out from the equipment’s taken from the fire station.

Ex – Old fire truck tires used for the seating for the public cafeteria, structural elements used for the store purposes

Need of the project

There are several fire stations located alongside the western coastal belt. But there are no fire station between Mount Lavinia and Kaluthara.

Past incident occurred

Large clothing retail (nolimit) outlet in Panadura was destroyed by fire and backhoe destroyed by the fire which was parked near to the fuel station, Sri Sumangala junction.