Fire station Harderwijk in the picture

July 2014 After forty years the former fire station of Harderwijk was out of date. Also the surroundings offered little space. The development of the new Warterfront area in Harderwijk gave the opportunity to build a new 3.000 m2 fire station. In a series of design sessions with users of the building, a fully functioning design was created, with clear routes and without crossing traffic on site.
The buildings expression suits the character of the fire brigade: shiny metal horizontal bands in a dynamic pattern. The main feature of the building are the red vehicles, that are set behind a serrated transparent façade to ensure their visibility from afar.
The interior looks open and spacious, with an atrium and a grand staircase, lots of windows and surprising view. All functions - vehicle stalls, changing rooms, workshops, training rooms and offices of the local- and regional fire brigade and the Red Cross are visually connected.
It is a very sustainable and future proof building: due to the application of high quality insulation, biomass energy generation and heat & cold storage in the ground, the energy use of the building is reduced to 50% of government guidelines. 
Recently, the photo series was completed and the whole project can be viewed at the project page.