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Fire and EMS Station - Kyle, Texas
D&A worked together with 1113 Architects to design and construct
a combination building to accommodate personnel and equipment for
the City of Kyle volunteer Fire Department & Hays County Emergency
Medical Services (EMS). This station represents a significant step
in the evolution of emergency management in Kyle, and throughout
the whole area. With growth projections indicating that about 50
percent of Kyle’s population will be east of the railroad and
Interstate 35, a station near Fuentes Elementary is critical to
public health and safety.
This site was planned and designed to serve neighborhoods that are
among the fastest growing in the state, with dozens of new subdivisions,
Fuentes elementary school and the new Lehman High School in the
immediate vicinity. In addition, there is some commercial activity
in the area now, and likely to be considerably more in the near
future. Access to the Interstate, to future expansions of FM 1626,
to city and county arterials, and to subdivisions were all critical
issues; the proposed location area was well chosen for good access:
good site planning and design – and, coordination with regional
traffic planners – was critical to maximizing that access and
to minimizing response time.
Stylistically, the design is economical and efficient, but reflects
a dignity of public purpose. It’s recognizable as a public
place, one that is likely to be a neighborhood landmark for years
to come. In an area of new subdivisions without deep roots, the
design for this public building strove to bridge west-side Kyle
with east-side, and to harmonize emerging design themes for the
city, especially in light of the city’s desire to create commercial
overlay districts along major traffic corridors.
Duties included meeting with city staff, school district officials
and board members, a stakeholder committee, coordinating various
sub and co-consultants, budgeting, scheduling, and making public
presentations.
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