The blocks around Manhattan's High Line are fertile ground for architects, with attention-getting condo buildings by Jean Nouvel, Neil Denari, Annabelle Selldorf, Shigeru Ban, and others recently sprouting up. But the neighborhood's latest head-turner is a dwelling of a very different sort, housing members of FDNY's Marine Company 1, who operate one of a new generation of sleek pumping vessels commissioned in the wake of 9/11. The craft can travel at up to 18 knots (about 20 m.p.h.) and pump 50,000 gallons of water per minute (50 times more than a typical fire truck). And why shouldn't the company's permanent quarters be as sleek as the vessel?
Around the time the $27 million, 140-foot boat was purchased, the fire department also ordered up a new station to serve as a docking site, command center, and dormitory for eight to ten firefighters at a time. For the project, the FDNY worked with the Hudson River Park Trust to select CR Studio Architects , a local firm that had already designed an impressive carousel pavilion on the waterfront at 22nd Street.
Jonathan Dreyfous, one of the firm's three partners (along with Lea Cloud and Victoria Rospond), notes that the building's tall and narrow shape gives it the look of what he calls "a strong, iconic public structure." Handsome zinc cladding, in time, will weather to a lush patina. Windows are placed according to the requirements of the interior spaces, ranging from buoy storage to a fitness center, producing an asymmetry that appears not disjointed, but intriguing. The largely windowless north façade acts as a windbreak for the boat's mooring on the south side. The west side, meanwhile, juts out over the river to catch light reflecting off the water, thereby reducing the need for artificial lighting indoors—one of several environmentally friendly design features. In perhaps their most important move, the architects hid massive mechanical equipment under the roof, which allows the structure to retain its crisp, almost crystalline silhouette.
The tight municipal budget ruled out plush interiors; in fact, most of the finishes—such as linoleum, epoxy, and stainless steel—were prescribed by the FDNY. Says Dreyfous, "We tried to work with the materials in inventive ways." The crew is particularly happy with the open kitchen and dining area with priceless Hudson River views. "It's a beautiful facility," says Captain Richard Johnson, who heads Marine Company 1. And from the second floor, it's a quick trip to the dock level below, via a feature CR Studio couldn't improve upon: the traditional firefighter's pole.
Click to see a slide show of the innovative firehouse.
Watch our video tour of the Marine Company 1 station.
