How do you create a space that feels like a home away from home when that space is also a mission-critical building operating 24/7? More importantly, how is this achieved without impeding on the occupants’ ability to respond to emergencies quickly and efficiently? This was the challenge FSC’s lighting designers responded to on one of our most recent projects.
NWCFD Fire Station 13, also known as Sunflower Fire Station, fulfils a critical need to serve the growing population of northwest Johnson County, Kansas. The design team, helmed by SFS Architecture and FSC, was challenged to find ways to enhance mental wellbeing & create a living space that felt like home to firefighters and medics.
This was crucial not only because first responders would be inhabiting the station for long hours, but also because of the disproportionately high rates of stressful mental health conditions first responders experience, highlighting the need for the lighting design to reduce stress and support resiliency. At the same time, the design needed to promote physical readiness & create a clean, safe work environment.
Lighting Concept
The lighting concept is split between the “living” side of the station and the “response” side. The living area lighting creates an atmosphere that feels like a second home to responders, while the response side emphasizes readiness with clear, unobstructive lighting.
There are many options for occupant control in individual spaces, including task lights, mirror lights (switched separately), fan lights vs downlights, or both, all to make spaces feel personal rather than institutional. On the response side of the building, lights automatically switch on when a call is received to facilitate quick action, while still allowing for eye adaptation.
Balancing design and occupant needs, the design is concealed in some areas and a statement in others. Lighting types are a mix of familiar classics, current standards, and pendants aligned with the station’s particular style and current high-performance luminaires. To offset the maintenance complexities of having many fixture types, the station utilizes long-life LEDs in accessible locations with controls minimizing run time.
Efficient & User-Driven Lighting
As with many of our other MEP projects, energy efficiency and addressing user needs played a big role in our work. Light levels in most spaces can be set by users to meet their needs. The architectural design features high visibility from key places in the station to major points including the public entrance, apparatus bay, and response spaces. Corridor lighting outside sleeping rooms was designed in color, location and brightness to provide minimal sleep disturbance.
From the beginning of the project, sustainability and energy efficiency were important goals. The building interior utilizes energy efficient LED lighting and Energy Code compliant lighting controls, consuming 26% less interior power than the code standard. This continues to the station’s exterior, which consumes 37% less power than the code standard and meets LEED requirements to reduce light pollution.
This project creates a place to work and live that is inviting, comfortable, and aesthetically pleasing, enabling the fire department and MED-ACT to do their life-saving work in the best possible headspace and creating a place of respite they can return to after taking emergency calls. At the same time, the lighting promotes readiness, enabling responders to act quickly in clearly lit conditions.
The building’s modern interior lighting design also supports its ability to host community events, making it a comfortable and inviting space for visitors and responders alike. NWCD Fire Station 13 will be an anchor to the community it serves for generations to come.
Interested in learning more about FSC’s public safety experience? Visit our public safety portfolio to see more of our fire station projects.