The edges of the city are most often characterized as a composite array of low-tech, low-design-effort prefabricated buildings that avoid clearly expressing their industrial typology on the exterior. By wrapping themselves in various advertising envelopes, they further suffocate an already excessively advertisement-saturated environment.
With the new Varaždin Firefighting Centre, an attempt is made to respond to its context - a peripheral area without a clear identity, bounded by high-speed roads. The centre is conceived as an elemental hall of rectangular proportions, dominating the space precisely through its simplicity and clarity.
The concept of the compressed hall is based on the required principles of pragmatism, simplicity, and cost-efficiency in both construction and maintenance.
The elongated hall is segmented and organized by three solid volumes that accommodate the core functional spaces of the centre.
The southernmost volume contains the training ground and the ancillary spaces of the sports hall: changing rooms, gym, sauna, and massage room. The central volume houses technical facilities intended for post-intervention processes. The final, northern volume accommodates the remaining service functions, including supporting technical operations, a hose washing and drying area, and an automotive workshop.
The principal spaces around which the centre is organized are positioned between the aforementioned volumes - the entrance area, which also functions as a multipurpose hall, the sports hall, and the garage - and are fully open to the exterior spaces.
The administrative offices and the emergency response team facilities are located on the upper floor, within a clearly articulated and linearly organized internal lamella that bridges all service volumes and functions as a gallery overlooking the remaining spaces.
A simple geometric design approach created the opportunity to emphasize the two most important components: the Firefighting Operations Centre (VOC) and the tower. The VOC is positioned above the central service volume and, with its roof sloping in the opposite direction to the rest of the hall, becomes the most prominent and significant element of the entire complex. It offers open views toward the garage, the main entrance, and the vehicular access to the site.
Extending from the same volume is the fire tower — a dominant vertical element set against the strong horizontal of the hall.
Contrasting and elevated in its red colour, it clearly communicates the purpose of the complex. Its western façade also serves as a training ground for intervention exercises and hose drying.
Site Organization
By positioning the hall so that its longer side runs parallel to the roadway, the zones of the complex are clearly delineated. Facing the new road are the entrance plaza, parking spaces, and the open forecourt in front of the garage. Behind the lamella, exterior areas are formed for training, sports activities, and recreation.
Exterior
The building’s structural system is based on a combination of steel and reinforced concrete construction. The external envelope is conceived as a continuous skin of expanded metal mesh, achieving a unified and contemporary volumetric expression. The application of a ventilated façade system enables effective thermal regulation within the building and contributes to its energy efficiency and long-term sustainability.
At the glazed areas, external venetian blinds are предусмотрed, allowing control of solar gains during the winter period and protection against excessive solar exposure in the summer months.
