PUBLIC SAFETY: Sarasota County, FL
Sarasota County Fire Station #8 is a new 19,300 SF fire station and re-use of Sweet Sparkman’s plans for Sarasota County Fire Station #1. This structure includes approximately 7,200 SF for a Special Operations structure with an air-conditioned workroom. The building will be LEED Certified and designed to meet Sarasota County’s 2030 challenge to the greatest extent feasible. The scope of work also includes interior design services for the selection of finishes and furnishes. Site Improvements include public vehicle and staff parking areas and the addition of a new fuel filling site. The station will house four drive-through apparatus bays with living quarters capable of serving 14 firefighters/EMS personnel. Other interior spaces include a kitchen, exercise room, day room, dining area, screened porch and report writing area. Limestone material became a driving force in how the building character could be related to the local Celery Fields Park. Clad in a cultured limestone material as a nod to the site’s agricultural history, the fire station juxtaposes the limestone with a more contemporary pre-finished aluminum cladding wall and roof panel system. The overall architecture expresses sloped roofs, deep overhangs, a front porch and lanai, all elements prevalent in Southwest Florida vernacular.