Construction begins on Sunset Park Firehouse in Brooklyn

Ground has been broken on the $6.8 million firehouse for Engine Company 201 in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. The three-story, 17,000-sf firehouse will be one of the first firehouses to be built under the auspices of the Design Excellence Program of the New York City Department of Design and Construction (DDC). The DDC foresees a facility that will set the general standards for all new firehouses, with numerous green features, including dual-flush toilets, low-VOC paint, and energy-efficient HVAC systems, and a design that reinforces the department's strong community presence. For instance, the building's façade, designed by RKT&B Architects, New York, will incorporate glazed red brick and the Maltese Cross—a symbol of protection and a firefighter's badge of honor.

Liro Group, Syosset, N.Y., will serve as the project's construction administrator, Robert Silman Associates, New York, as the structural engineer, and Reynaldo Prego, New York, as the MEP engineer.