Mayor Joseph L. Williams, Jr. Fire Station

The site for the new station consisted of multiple parcels previously occupied by a gas station and dry cleaner, bounded by a neighborhood commercial arterial street and residential avenues. The station, traditionally associated with the city’s university, was shifted to a central location within a historically African American neighborhood. City and fire department leadership chose to name the new station after the first African American mayor to emphasize the connection to the community. Kelly green, the traditional color of the university, was incorporated into the design to reflect the station’s history.

To fit within the existing context, it was important for the building to respond to the neighborhood commercial frontage on 20th Street, as well as the residential character of 9th Avenue. The site design was driven by the need for pull-through access for the fire apparatus, with a secure parking area to the north and a lawn area to the west, softening the transition to residential neighbors. The Architects coordinated rerouting the existing alley and associated utilities to combine the parcels and facilitate pull-through access as part of the project. The building program included a training room for the fire department’s use, which the Architects chose to locate on the 20th Street façade to provide a public face to the structure that responded to the neighborhood commercial district.

The high apparatus bay is expressed with a sloping form of warm bronze metal panels that reinforces the direction of vehicular flow as well as shading the southern facade. Soft brick tones with metal panel accents are used to clad the lower surrounding forms.

The 7,087 square foot station is designed with the firefighters’ health and wellness at the forefront. Inset glass entry vestibules on the north and south facades provide separation and serve as decontamination zones between the apparatus bays and living areas. These entry points bookend spaces housing firefighting equipment, work areas, and gear storage lockers, gear washer and dryer, which contain firefighting gear and any associated contaminants within the apparatus bays. The apparatus bay is fitted with an exhaust removal system that connects directly to the vehicle exhaust. The design of the living quarters provides individual bunk rooms and restrooms, reflecting the fire department’s priority of accommodating all genders. Designed for shifts of six, the day room, dining and kitchen area open onto a covered patio connecting to a fenced side yard. A weight room also opens onto the patio to provide indoor/outdoor exercise options.

The station is served by an air cooled Variable Refrigerant Volume (VRV) system consisting of a centralized heat pump unit, indoor wall units and ceiling cassettes, The ability to simultaneously heat or cool gives each fire fighters quarters their own thermostatic control. This building is also equipped with an 58KW photovoltaic solar array.

Barboursville Library

The new Barboursville Public Library serves as a center for knowledge in its community, providing access to books, technology, and activities. The building’s first level features reading spaces for adults as well as private study rooms that provide a quiet space for individual learning. An outdoor reading room on the first floor is designed to accommodate a full class of students for learning and activities. The children and young adult resources are located on the second floor, providing a level of security to the space. Glass encloses the second level, designed to visually connect spaces in the library and retain acoustic separation. A media lab provides gaming and coding resources to young adults while a play area and activity room cater to children, emphasizing the importance of spaces for visitors of all ages.

The high-performance building design features insulated concrete form construction, geothermal wells for heating and cooling, and a 71-kilowatt solar array.

The exterior forms are clad in contrasting tones, using bronze, metal panels and a pearl-colored fiber cement rainscreen which resonate with the natural materials and earth-toned palette of the interior. Natural materials such as stone and laminated timber were carefully selected to reflect the context of the surrounding area through a modern lens.

The project is sited across the street from the village’s elementary school and located much closer to the middle school than the previous library, allowing for improved access by classes during the day as well as by students visiting the library after school. The site presented several challenges, specifically an active rail line along the southern edge, an active baseball field to the east, and a senior center to the north. The building form hinges to parallel the trajectory of the rail line, directing the front façade and entry toward the main pedestrian and vehicular access points.

Daine Gallery Addition

Built in the 1950’s, the original Museum’s size doubled when gallery and studio additions designed by Walter Gropius with The Architect’s Collaborative were added in 1968. In 2008, a private endowment provided funding specifically for an addition to display the Museum’s collection of works on paper and to provide an expansion of the vault.

Completed in 2011, the new gallery addition wraps around the base of a Gropius-designed clerestory light monitor form.  To take advantage of the view of the courtyard and Gropius Studios beyond, a skewed window breaks from the rigid form and focuses the view. Because of strict light exposure restrictions for works on paper, an anteroom is formed around the window to help block direct daylight into the gallery space.

“You were so easy to work with and totally responsive. I never felt I had to make a decision without having the benefit of your expertise when I needed it. None of that even touches on the splendid design…”
–Margaret Mary Layne, Director, Huntington Museum of Art

Paul Ambrose Trail for Health

The City of Huntington, West Virginia has constructed the first phase of a commuter and recreational bike and pedestrian trail system in the city. Using public right of ways and the flood control levees, the project added over 8.5 miles of off-road, multi-use trails in the city. Highlights of the project include seven trailheads with informational kiosks and a new bike and pedestrian bridge.

Our firm assembled a custom design team including Alta Planning + Design, an internationally-known pedestrian and bicycle trail design firm, Eastham & Associates, for civil engineering, permitting and surveying, Randolph Engineering for structural design, and Bulldog Creative for signage graphics.  The project required coordination and approvals from multiple stakeholders including the US Army Corps of Engineers, the City’s Floodwall Division, CSX, and the WV Department of Highways.

The P.A.T.H. will ultimately create a network of on and off-road trails to connect all areas of the city and provide access to this healthy, safe and enjoyable mode of transportation and recreation.  Phase 1 construction was completed in 201 and included 3 segments: Guyandotte, Levee and Harveytown.

Cox Landing

Completed in 2014, this new 5,000 sf Branch Library replaces a small facility within an adjacent elementary school.  While level, the site is low-lying with portions below the nearby Ohio River’s 100 year flood plain.  The building is sited on a slight terrace above the flood plain and is oriented toward south-west views of the adjacent golf course and mature trees.  A folded roof overhang shades the glass wall and terrace below.  High performance glass further reduces glare, heat gain and protects printed material from damaging sun rays.

Sustainable design features include capturing all stormwater runoff and directing it to landscaped retention areas, or “rain gardens”, where stormwater is naturally absorbed and cleaned.  Low or no VOC producing interior finishes and furnishings were specified and recycled-content materials, low-flow plumbing fixtures, high-efficiency mechanical equipment, daylighting and efficient lighting fixtures are also incorporated. A community meeting/multi-purpose room is located with its own entrance so that other Library areas can be secured, facilitating evening uses when the Library may be closed.

“I appreciate Edward Tucker Architects because he and his staff listen to their clients and take into consideration the needs and wants of the client. He follows up every conference with a written document of what was discussed and decided so that we have no misunderstandings of what is taking place. The space designed has been most satisfactory, not only attractive but very user friendly.”
–Judy Rule, Director, Cabell County Public Libraries