Prefabricated steel modules were used to create Fire Station 67, which was designed by architecture studio Wittman Estes to be durable, adaptable and quick to construct and reconfigure.
The fire station is located in Rancho Mission Viejo, a census-designated place in Orange County, California. The area consists of ranching operations, new residential developments and 17,000 acres (6,880 hectares) of open space.
Fire Station 67 is made from prefabricated steel modules
Totalling 4,667 square feet (434 square metres), the single-level station sits on a flat site, with hills in the background.
The building is made of steel modules that were prefabricated in a factory, trucked to the site, and put into place using a telescopic forklift.
Wittman Estes designed the project in Orange County, California "The rapidly deployable steel cubes are designed for reuse, speed and resilience," the team said.
Designing the building for reuse was critical, as there are plans to convert the station into an environmental learning centre in 10 years.
The "rapidly deployable steel cubes" were created for speed
Typically, a firehouse with such a short lifespan would have little design merit and would be constructed of cheap and non-durable materials.
"Interim fire stations are typically built as generic, interior-focused boxes," the team said.
"These short-term stations end up in landfills, adding to the waste stream and accelerating climate change."
Fire Sta...