NY Fire Department Opens the New Greenpoint EMS Station

NY Fire Department Opens the New Greenpoint EMS Station

The rapidly growing Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, NY, now has a striking Emergency Medical Service (EMS) Station designed by Michielli + Wyetzner Architects (M+W) for the NY Fire Department. Occupying a prominent site on Metropolitan Avenue, one of the area's main thoroughfares, the two-story, 12,400-square-foot facility that supports FDNY ambulance crews and vehicles has a strong, contemporary form that sets it apart from neighboring historic structures.

The $9.3 million station is part of FDNY's plan to improve response time to medical emergencies throughout the city. Increasing the number of stations will reduce the distance and time ambulances travel to those in need among the burgeoning population.

"This is an iconic building that conveys the message of readiness to serve and connectedness to the community," said NYC Department of Design and Construction (DDC) Deputy Commissioner David Resnick at the opening. "It's a symbol of what EMS represents to the community." DDC was the commissioning agency for the project."

"The station's requirements led to a four-part division of the facility," added M+W principal Michael Wyetzner. "Since the garage-like apparatus space calls for a higher ceiling height than in the rest of the station, that side of the station is taller than the other and the change helps organize its functions."

Located on the east side of the building, it accommodates four ambulances, a command vehicle, a support zone and personal protective equipment storage, while to the west are the lieutenant's office and other administrative space.

On the second floor, the east side is for the locker rooms and bathrooms for the 54 women and 97 men who maintain the station's three shifts. On the west side are a fitness facility, training room, and 700-square-foot combined kitchen and lounge area. The first floor's different ceiling heights mean the two sides of the second floor are at different levels and that shift in levels repeats at the roofline.

"We marked the shift with a skylight that extends from the front to the back of the building," said M+W principal Frank Michielli. "That brings daylight to the second floor and through an opening in the floor to the ground level. The double-height glass-enclosed entry also marks the division between functions and is filled with natural light."

On the exterior, roll-up red doors on the vehicle side introduce a jolt of bright color for what is otherwise a primarily cool, glass façade. Providing a diagonal sculptural break is the transparent exit stair, with perforated aluminum sandwiched between two sheets of glass, that runs parallel along the street façade, connecting the entrance with the second floor. The 90-foot-long, second-story translucent glass wall, with a honeycomb pattern set into the glass, appears to float above the ground floor and is part of the building's strong identity. Aglow in the evening, the new Greenpoint EMS Station is a distinct presence in the Williamsburg community.

Photography: Alexander Severin

Michielli + Wyetzner Architects

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