4th Prize: Competition Möglingen Fire Station
Site / Access
Coming from Möglingen, the new fire station is located on the right-hand side of Landesstraße 1110 toward Stuttgart-Stammheim. Its freestanding position and the size of the site make it possible to design the new fire station as a single-story building with a rectangular floor plan.
The training tower is set apart in the southwestern corner. Visible from all directions, it serves as a prominent landmark and spatially defines the vehicle yard. The building is clearly recognizable as a fire station without presenting itself toward the road through a fully paved forecourt and a continuous row of vehicle doors.
Cars and bicycles access the site via the existing entrance at the northern end of the property. The emergency exit is located at the southern end of the gently sloping site. This position allows the emergency vehicles to leave the building at ground level and access the main road directly.
Architecture
The low-rise building, with its simple and clearly defined square layout, sits calmly within the landscape. The forecourt facing the parking area establishes the building’s identity. Its surrounding canopy forms part of the square roof and serves several functions: it provides an inviting entrance to the training room, a high-quality outdoor gathering area, a venue for events, and covered bicycle parking.
The single-story building is topped by a flat concrete roof. The roof is accentuated on one side by the opening above the forecourt and on the opposite side by a raised section.
The raised section provides the necessary ceiling height for the vehicle hall. Its skylights also allow additional daylight to enter from above, ensuring that the vehicle hall is optimally illuminated from all sides. The rest of the building receives natural light through full-height timber-aluminum windows with external solar shading. The staff and social areas are additionally lit by skylights in the roof.
The façade materials reflect the construction principle. Up to a height of 4.0 m, exposed concrete is used to convey the robustness required for firefighting operations. Above the joint with the roof, timber is also used for the exterior façade. Timber is likewise used in the floors and ceilings of the administration and training areas.
Construction
The structure follows a clear material concept based on timber and concrete. Up to a height of 4.0 m, the entire load-bearing structure is made of concrete, ensuring durability and robustness. Above this level, timber is used exclusively for the load-bearing and ceiling structures.
Load-bearing concrete walls frame the main functional areas. Within these zones, the interior layout can be freely arranged using lightweight partitions. The vehicle hall is constructed with glued laminated timber beams supported by reinforced-concrete columns and walls. The roof slabs consist of continuous solid timber panel elements. The roof areas will be planted with extensive green roofs, while the roof of the vehicle hall will be equipped with the required photovoltaic system.
Functions
The decision to design the building as a single-story structure and to organize it within a square floor plan enables straightforward operational processes in the event of an emergency. Emergency personnel can move directly from the parking area into the building, then to the changing rooms and on to the vehicle hall.
Orienting both the vehicle hall and the outdoor washing area away from the nearby residential building helps reduce noise emissions. The other rooms—including the administration offices, meeting rooms, and training room—are arranged around the perimeter and offer views of the surrounding greenery.
All functions can be accessed directly from the forecourt. The incident commander has an excellent overview of the access route and vehicle yard, with direct access to the vehicle hall. The training area faces the landscape and includes its own landscaped outdoor area, which connects to the training grounds.
