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The No. 4 fire station, to be built at 911 University Avenue at Woolwich Street, will be the city's first will help it meet LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards. New fire Hall will be the City ofVaterloo'rtirtt, green building Taking the 'LEED' terloo's fourth fire sta- Wion, to be built in the east end, will also be the city's first "green" building. The station will be designed to a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver stan- dard, which means that architects and contractors will try to make the building have a neutral impact on the surrounding environment, said lead architect Franceso Alaimo. That's especially important given the landscape surrounding the new fire station's location at University Avenue and Woolwich Street, near RIM Park, the architect "When I was driving around the area, I tried to get a feel for the community." said Alaimo, who unveiled the blueprints and design for Fire Station No. 4 at a public open house at RIM Park last week, . "What I noticed was the farm- land and the vast swaths of trees. BYGREG MACDONAID - - 1?LreicAeft_q_Lr, That led me to my concept of a building that is nestled in amongst the forest." To fit in with that theme, the building will be coloured with earth tones, such as browns, greens and suppers. Alaimo said. i" the building will be green in more than just colour, he gdded. In accordance with LEED stan- dards, the S3.2-million building will feature many environmentally friendly features "Basically it will catch the rain and instead of just draining off into the nearby area, it will collect," said Alaimo, who described the effect of the moat as making the station look like an island. The station, which will serve the northeast part of Waterloo, will be surrounded by what amounts to a moat, which will collect rainwater to prevent flooding of the nearby area and soil erosion, Alaimo said. "If there's overflow, it won't just pour out. It will be released slowly so as to cause no damage." four living space says a lot about you Why not pick colours that show off our personal style? Our qualified Decorating Consultants can help you :hoose from our wide range of products and colours that will reflect your Illlllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll personal style and enhance the beauty of your home, Visit any of our locations today! The station design E1180 tries to CITY NEWS at Style with Jp/m/t/ "When you hear global warm- ing, it can mean a lot of things," Alaimo said. "In this case, it means literally warming the ground." minimize the global warming irnpaci. _ _ . _ To avoid causing the land around the station to heat up, which traditionally happens when asphalt is laid and buildings are installed, the roof will be construct- ed from reflective metal and the trims and driveways will be made of concrete, which doesn't absorb heat like asphalt. " "The only part that will be asphalt will be 13 or 14 parking spots, but the impact will be negli- gible," Alaimo said. The environmental friendliness of the building is reflective of the fire department's desire to fit in the surrounding community, said fire Chief lohn deHooge. "We're not going to be like some other business coming into a com- munity. We're going to be good neighbours," deHooge said. ih drawing up thve plans for the "green" building. The station is designed with environmentally friendly components that MD H010 new station, the chief, Alaimo and ment to meet city council's recently an advisory committee met with mandated response times of a tive- neighbours and tried to factor their minute response 90 per cent of the concerns into the finished product. time as laid out in the tire master That meant minimizing lighting plan. and sound pollution to nearby But the need for the station neighbours, as well as making the existed even before the plan was station a safe haven. brought before council, deHooge "Ifachild thinks he is indanger or being followed, he can go into the station and lock the door behind him," deHooge said. And the station ikont only be friendly to the community and environment. . Alaimo tried to make it comfort- able for the tiretigtttertay well. -- "It's their siicond home so I wanted to make them feel comfort- able there," he said. The architect made sure there was minimal lighting in sleeping areas so the firefighters can get m and that each room had access to the apparatus room so the team could leave the station within 25 seconds of an alarm. The chief said the new station was necessary for the fire depart- WM'ERLIX) CHRONICLE . Wednesday. Much 12. zoos . S "It was first mentioned that we might need one in the east end in the 1988 tire master plan," he said. "But that was based on population expectations. Certainly by the time I became chief in 2004 there was talkabout it." The station, which will be staffed by one team consisting of either four or five members, is slat- ed to open in mid-2009. The" final design must still be approted by cquncil. whifh will “My take pm MSW April. The préject will ttienhe put to tender with construction beginning try MM!- feHoogt said.. _ Statfwil1 be Wed about two months before the opening, he