September 14, 2020

Fire Station 51

Photos by Andrew Nam / Weinstein A+U [enlarge]

Fire Station 51 was recently completed at 17951 Southcenter Parkway in Tukwila, standing out as an island of civic architecture in a sea of big box stores, restaurants and parking lots.

The 12,540-square-foot, one-story building houses six firefighters. It was designed to improve the health, safety and mental well-being of firefighters, and project a sense of permanence, reliability and protection. The massive brick walls and vertical metal slots are meant to emphasize the strength and stability of the fire department.

Apparatus bays align with the intersection for a speedy exit. Adjacent housing for the firefighters is arranged around a small west-facing courtyard, which provides natural light, privacy and visual respite from the busy street.

The project cost was $14.68 million. It is the first of two new fire stations being built under a 2016 bond measure to improve public safety infrastructure.

Owner: City of Tukwila

Architect: Weinstein A+U

General contractor: Lydig Construction

Owner’s representative: Shiels Obletz Johnsen

Civil engineer: LPD Engineering

Landscape architect: Swift Co.

Structural engineer: Swenson Say Faget

Mechanical engineer: The Greenbusch Group

Electrical engineer: TFWB Engineers

Cost estimator: RLB

Fire Station Specialist Architect: TCA

Geotechnical Engineer: Hart Crowser

Traffic Engineer: WH Pacific

Do you have photos of recent projects? Share them with DJC readers. Send high-resolution images and information to lisa.lannigan@djc.com.

Previous columns:

• Mary Lyon Elementary School, 09-08-2020
• Modera Redmond, 08-31-2020
• Bellevue College Student Success Center, 08-24-2020
• Local Tide, 08-17-2020
• Alaska Airlines Lounge, 08-10-2020
• Seattle Children’s Research Institute — Building Cure, 08-03-2020
• Cactus Southwest Kitchen + Bar, 07-27-2020
• The Main Apartments + Lofts, 07-20-2020