In 2006, the City of Columbia commissioned PWA to design a Fire Station to replace the existing Fire Station 7. Working with the prototype for Station 8, a new plan was developed to register the building with a LEED Silver Rating. The new 3-bay, 7,900 square foot building provides for the comfort of up to 8 firefighters per shift with a kitchen, dining room, living room, firefighter bunk room, men and women bath facilities, officer quarters, laundry room, exercise room, watch room, and a patio. The new site for the station allowed for the use of many new stormwater management techniques such as a bio-retention pond and a rain garden with native plantings. The project involved the use of a lot of recycled content materials and certified wood products. A waste management program was used during construction.

LEED Design Highlights:

• Porous concrete paving for stormwater collection.
• Rain garden and bio-retention basin for cleansing stormwater runoff.
• Native landscape design minimizes the need for irrigation.
• Use of certified wood for rough carpentry, doors, cabinetry, and trim.
• Extensive use of regionally available materials for the project from concrete to roofing.
• Extensive use of recycled content materials throughout.
• Material reuse from existing Fire station No. 7.
• Ground source heat pumps for heating and air conditioning.
• Passive solar design elements such as clerestory windows, proper solar orientation, and operable windows.
• Recycling of construction waste.