Nunawading Fire Station

Architectus reinstates the suburban fire station as an important civic landmark in Maroondah Highway's raucous retail strip.

The new Fire Station No: 27 in Nunawading is part of the network of 47 fire stations operated by Melbourne's Metropolitan Fire and Emergency Services Board (MFB).

It is a hard working building which facilitates the fastest emergency response, the latest operational practices and a host of on-site training activities whilst, in its scale and refinement, is a building that speaks of permanency and dependability. Architectus' design approach was heavily influenced by the functional requirements for a robust, 24 hour-use facility; this is evident in the choice of hard-wearing exposed concrete, native hardwoods, the expression of the structural steel frame and austerity of detailing throughout. Internally the fire station is almost domestic in scale with sleeping quarters, kitchen and common rooms arranged around landscaped courtyards allowing natural ventilation, good daylight and privacy.

The facilities of a community focused organisation such as the MFB should have a strong street presence. Red bricks, favoured by the MFB, are edged away from their residential connotations by being reinterpreted as terracotta tiles, stacked vertically and panelised. A single skillion roof is directed westward towards the 1920s former local council building allowing the four fire trucks, arguably the stars of the show, full visual prominence from the street.

Project Sheet

• Project Sheet