San Luis Obispo Regional Airport Station No 21, San Luis Obispo, California
San Luis Obispo Regional (SLO) Airport ARFF Station No. 21 encompasses the replacement of the old airport Fire Station that fell victim to seismic challenges, and airport expansion. From the inception of the project, the Architect, LEA Architects, LLC led by Larry Enyart, FAIA, LEED Fellow and Lance Enyart, AIA, LEED AP established project design goals of; minimizing emergency service response time, improving the quality of life for the Fire Department personnel located at the Airport, and setting a progressive new “airfoil” design theme for other airport structures to follow. These goals were applied to every facet of the design, from aircraft noise attenuation, evacuation of diesel exhaust fumes, environmental filtration systems, the building’s orientation, natural light, natural ventilation, and the selection of sustainable energy saving materials. The new SLO Station No. 21 includes three large Apparatus Bays for crash-rescue, structural, and EMS missions. Other features are: Living, Kitchen and Dining Areas, Private Dormitories for Airport Fire Fighters, Infectious Disease Control Room, Turnout Room, Physical Fitness/ Exercise Area, Workshop/ SCBA Storage, equipped with Emergency Power, Radio, Dispatch and Data Systems. Important design contextual elements are the rolling California hills, aircraft forms, industrial aviation environment, and a busy existing passenger terminal. The Architect’s design theme provided an airport emergency service building that would enhance the aviation environment and be a progressive feature building for San Luis Obispo Regional Airport. Masonry was chosen for use throughout the majority of the project for complete exterior and interior use. Smooth and split face integral color masonry was used to sustain longevity for maintenance, thermal mass, and in particular provide sound attenuation from the busy and noisy jet aircraft airport environment. The considerable amount of integral color interior masonry is lightly sandblasted with accentuated deep joints. The LEED AP Architect felt it was essential to use sustainable materials with low maintenance as feature architectural elements in the visionary “airfoil influenced design” of SLO airport Station No 21.