Laughlin/Bullhead Int’l Airports’ ARFF Station – Featured in Metal Construction News!
The aircraft rescue fire station at Laughlin-Bullhead International Airport is the first building designed with a new master plan for the airport. It sets the character and material palettes for future development including a new terminal.
Steve Rao, president of DWL Architects + Planners Inc., says metals were specified for strength, lightness and durability. “We chose metallic silver for the roof and wall panels to evoke an image of flying,” he says. “In addition, the building was designed as if it emerges from the base of the mountain.”
The 13,000-square-foot fire station is located approximately 50 feet down the side of a mountain and approximately 75,000 cubic yards of material was removed from the site. This led to placing a public entrance on the second floor and airside access on the first floor.
Progressive Roofing installed 6,418 square feet of Rollfab Metal Products’ 24-gauge pre-weathered Galvalume SL-175 metal wall panels, 9,819 square feet of 22-gauge pre-weathered Galvalume MS-200 metal roof panels and 2,957 square feet of 24-gauge pre-weathered Galvalume FP-10 metal panels on the exterior soffit and lobby ceiling. Additionally, the project utilized 828 square feet of Armstrong Ceilings’ Metalworks Welded Wire 2 Cell in Gunmetal Grey on the corridor ceiling.
Rao says metal finishes were adapted to site conditions. “One such example in our project is the perforated panels at the screenwalls and mechani- cal yard; these were powdercoated instead of coil coated to address potential weathering issues at perforations,” he says. Progressive Roofing installed 162 square feet of Rollfab Metal Products’ 24-gauge SL-175 perforated screenwall panels powdercoated to match pre-weathered Galvalume.
The fire station features a command center on the second floor that overlooks the airport and serves as the operations room during emergencies. Metal was used for the walls, roof, ceilings, soffits and screening throughout the interior and exterior of the building. The project was completed in February 2013.
“Using planar forms, the building exudes an aesthetic balance between layers of diverse materials,” Rao says. “Metal roof and panels created such a layer fusing the building to its site, while reflecting the picturesque colors of the Mojave Desert landscape.”
Owner: Mohave County Airport Authority Inc., Bullhead City, Ariz.
General contractor: D.L. Withers Construction, Phoenix
Architect: DWL Architects + Planners Inc., Phoenix
Fabricator/installer: Progressive Roofing, Phoenix
Metal ceiling: Armstrong Ceilings, Lancaster, Pa., www.armstrong.com
Metal roof/wall panels: Rollfab Metal Products, Phoenix, www.rollfabmetal.com
Source: Christopher Brinckerhoff. “Aircraft Rescue Fire Station, Laughlin-Bullhead International Airport, Bullhead City, Ariz.”. Metal Construction News. Published 5/1/2015.