...[Visiting] preschoolers scream with delight as members of the rescue team cross a rope bridge. A female team member can be seen doing baton practice in the basement. It’s just like a scene from a theme park. Of course, this is the kind of scene we imagined right from the early stages of the competition. In this approach, the various activities, such as those taking place in the atrium and the relationship between the atrium and the activities in the surrounding rooms directly form the expression of the building. [In that way, it is just like a showcase for exhibiting the fire fighters’ activities]...By seeing the architecture as a backdrop for the variety of activities there, the intricate space in fact becomes far more distinct. (Riken Yamamoto, “Shinkenchiku”, July. 2000)
		Nishi Fire Station, Hiroshima (1996-2000) location: Hiroshima, Hiroshima Prefecture principal use: fire station, education center site area: 1,712.38m2 building area: 1,326.32m2 total floor area: 6,245.28m2 structure: steel frame, partly steel framed reinforced concrete; 1 basement and 8 stories maximum height: 38,000mm architects: Riken Yamamoto & Field Shop structural engineers: Plus One Structural Des. & Eng. Firm mechanical engineers: Sogo Consultants acoustic designers: Nagata Acoustics sign producers: A Works sign designers: Hiromura Design Office general contractors: JV of Sato,Uenoya and Oki completion date: March, 2000 next back top