Encinitas Fire Station #2 Unveiled, Will Attain LEED Certification

A group of Encinitas residents pushed a fire engine into the new Fire Station #2 in Cardiff Friday, right after a fire hose was ceremoniously uncoupled—officially opening the facility to the public.

The new building has been in use since Jan. 7 and replaced the original Fire Station #2, which was built in 1960, Mayor Teresa Barth told a crowd at the station’s unveiling.

“For more than 50 years, there’s been a lot of wear and tear and it was an antiquated facility,” she said. “This new facility is built to not only better serve the safety needs of the community, but to accommodate our modern safety vehicles, equipment and personnel.”

The facility will receive a US Green Building Council’s LEED Silver certification, she added. Construction costs were $4.6 million.

The building at 618 Birminhamd Dr. can be seen from Interstate-5.

Domusstudio architect Wayne Holtan, who oversaw the project, explains its environmental features:

The single-story, 6,330 square-foot building—with sloping sawtooth rooflines and clearstory windows—was designed to emulate the city’s history of flower fields and greenhouses. He added, “To further project the city’s historic identity, the Poinsettia flower is represented graphically on the masonry wall.”

The fire station serving approximately 60,000 Encinitas residents while providing mutual aid to surrounding communities incorporates sustainable design elements that align with the US Green Building Council’s LEED Silver certification. Such elements include the use of regional building materials, a storm water quality-control bioswale that removes silt and pollution from surface runoff water, and drought tolerant landscaping. The design also allows for the future installation of photovoltaic panels.

According to Holtan, the building was designed to mitigate freeway noise with the use of a continuous decorative concrete masonry wall fronting Interstate 5, with incorporated elements that respond to freeway visibility. The colors are shades of gray and the masonry incorporates offsetting faces with heavy textures.

The roofs are sloped, with standing seam metal facing south to allow optimal sun orientation and efficient solar collecting by the future photovoltaic panels. Between the masonry wall and sloping roof, clerestory windows are formed that allow for effective interior day lighting.

Other features include a freestanding hose-drying tower. The tower is cylindrical in plan and covered with perforated metal panels to enclose the hose drying lift.

The new fire station complements Encinitas Fire Station #5 and Encinitas Fire Station #3, also part of domusstudio’s portfolio. Construction of Fire Station #2 was completed by Balfour Beatty. 

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Editor's note: I added the construction cost.