In addition to the functionality requirements, more often also design requirements and an optical adaptation to the local surroundings are posed regarding the architectural design of a fire brigade station.

If a fire brigade station is built on greenfield site, at first all design possibilities are open. This can lead to a more similarity of fire brigade stations to a hangar (corrugated aluminium and transversal sectional doors) than to common fire brigade stations

On the other hand, a rural appearance also can be demanded and put into effect.

If in case of new buildings the door type doesn’t play a role because the room sizes are adapted to the dimensions of the latest vehicle generations, whereas there can occur several problems with the measurements of a modern vehicle in case of a reconstruction of an existing building.

In this case, the installation of an outside buffered folding door is the optimal solution because the room space up to the leading edge of the building can be used. If several vehicles of different sizes are up to debate, different door types can be combined.

The existing lintel height doesn’t suffice for the installation of a sectional door. The lintel blinds, which are necessary in this case, would have reduced the clear passage height so that the vehicles wouldn’t have fit into the hall.
Furthermore, the folding doors offer the advantage that a traffic leaf can be integrated. Thus, the common trip hazard of flap doors is ceased to exist.

Example: Use of different door types

While on the left and right hand side relatively short vehicles can be parked, the middle door is reserved for the considerably longer pump water tender. We gained 30 cm more space by installing an outside buffered folding door instead of an inside buffered sectional door where the building length would not have been sufficient.

Colours and fillings

Regarding colouring and design of the door leaf, the aluminium frame rung construction offers the most manifold possibilities. Who actually says that a fire brigade doors must always be red or that the closed and glazed fillings must always be arranged horizontally?

There are no limits to the architect’s imagination, particularly as special fillings can be applied.

Control technology

Regarding the control technology, particularly huge fire brigades require a more and more complex process coordination. Besides the possibility of the group activation, a decentralised initiation as well as initiation from the operations centre is required.

In this case, the doors have to be secured by closing edge safeguards and light barriers. Our modern controllers process door status indications and if necessary control heatings, CO exhausts etc.