(Engine 9) Environmental Zoning and Interior Upgrades
Johnson Roberts Associates is assisting the City of Cambridge in the development of a master plan for the updating of (6) aging fire stations. Our work on the Lexington Avenue station (the second fire house to be updated) began with the documentation of the current environmental zoning (Red / Hot – areas directly associated with response activities, Yellow / Neutral – areas associated with transitional / circulation activities, and Green / Cool – areas associated with residential activities). We then developed strategies for revisions to the environmental zoning to contain carcinogenic particulates in the Red Zone (and keep the Yellow and Green Zones particulate-free) in an effort to mitigate the prolonged exposure to carcinogenic toxins.
Specific upgrades to this historically significant fire station include:
- Thorough cleaning of all interior surfaces throughout the building.
- Upgrades to all interior finishes.
- Environmental gasketing at all doors which separate the response areas from the living areas.
- The introduction of environmentally separate firefighter decontamination areas (to no longer be located on the apparatus bay floor).
- A new code compliant stair serving all levels of the building.
- A new code compliant egress from the rear of the Apparatus Bay.
- The relocation of the Kitchen (from off of the Apparatus Bay floor to the upper level of the station).
- Individual firefighter bunk rooms.
- Individual firefighter shower/changing rooms.
- New Apparatus Bay waste piping system.
- New domestic hot water heating system (point of use).
- New building-wide fire protection system.
- New ventilation throughout the building.
- Expanded heating/cooling throughout the building.
- New building pressurization controls to ensure that all Green Zone spaces maintain a positive pressurization relative to Red Zone spaces.
- New BMS building energy management system.
- New electrical service.
- New diesel power generator sized for 100% of all lighting, power, and cooling loads.
- New LED interior and exterior light fixtures connected to an automatic lighting control system.
- New lightning protection system.
