Fire Station 17 is a new two-story, 6,500 square foot, single company facility for the City of San Jose, located at the intersection of Blossom Hill Road and Coniston.  The geometry of the compact corner site dictated an angular layout of the building, which was broken into smaller masses to blend with the adjacent residential scale of the existing neighborhood.

The building includes two apparatus bays, living quarters, kitchen and dining areas, offices, a decontamination area, turnout room and a separate workout building.

High clerestory bunkroom windows and Profilit channel glass bring natural light to the upstairs interior spaces, while maintaining privacy.  Horizontal strip windows at the captain’s office and kitchen screen the view of traffic and capture glimpses of hills in the distance.

The use of metal roofing and siding materials and stucco blend with the public art piece, a re-purposed aluminum fuel tank to create a lively beacon on the busy boulevard streetscape.

Photos: John Sutton Photography