WJ Architects presents design options, resiliency features for Brandon Fire Station 11 replacement

WJ Architects presented proposed designs and construction approaches for the planned replacement of Brandon Fire Station 11 during a remotely held Hillsborough County procurement committee meeting. The firm described options for a full new build, phased renovation and a reconstruction that would keep portions of the existing facility operational during work.

The presentation matters because the station handles emergency response for the Brandon area and the designs include operational features intended to preserve response times during construction, reduce long-term maintenance costs and limit firefighter exposure to contaminants.

WJ Architects’ team, led on this presentation by project staff, emphasized resilience and long-term maintenance savings. “I am a licensed architect with 7 years of professional experience, and I will be the project manager for this project,” said Anthony Cagnola, who identified himself as the project manager. The firm described separating “contaminated” and “clean” circulation routes inside the station, adding decontamination showers and airlocks, and locating extractor equipment and dedicated exhaust removal systems to limit carcinogen exposure in living quarters.

The firm presented three delivery/construction approaches. Option 1 described a new-build layout with pull-through apparatus bays and limited need for temporary facilities. Option 2 was a phased renovation reusing portions of the existing apparatus bay with a temporary canopy to maintain operations. Option 3 would retain some existing building fabric while building new living quarters and a temporary apparatus bay; that approach would require modular temporary facilities during construction. WJ Architects said maintaining apparatus circulation and minimizing extra turns between dorms and bays were design priorities to protect turnout time.

WJ Architects also described sustainability and durability measures: photovoltaic-ready roofs, cistern-based stormwater reuse, high-durability finishes (ceramic-faced masonry units that do not require paint), polished concrete floors and long‑life interior materials such as compressed bamboo panels. The firm said those decisions reduce routine repainting and repairs and, in its experience, produce interiors that remain serviceable for many years.

On cost and schedule, the presenter said the firm tracks projects through 30/60/90 percent design deliverables and uses in-house construction estimators, BIM coordination and third‑party QA/QC to limit change orders during construction. The team described historical performance on comparable projects, saying in hard-bid projects they had produced “no change orders” on several recent jobs and that, after refining budgets to program needs, their portfolio showed a net negative change-order trend. The committee asked what delivery method produced that result; the firm said the tracked projects were hard-bid, and it said it can also support CMAR delivery using its in-house construction staff.

Committee members pressed the team on site constraints and required setbacks. Presenters identified multiple dimensional constraints on the Brandon site, including a 10-foot setback line referenced in the concept layouts and a 20-foot residential buffer in places; one graphic was described as showing a 25-foot setback for another boundary condition. Presenters said the existing station is built close to property lines and that variances or waivers could be needed or justified if the committee pursues a replacement that improves the existing condition.

The team reviewed site-circulation options intended to meet apparatus turning and turnout-time requirements, and they ran vehicle-auto-turn simulations for worst-case apparatus geometry. The firm recommended retaining existing parking where feasible to reduce demolition and replacement costs and proposed options to double-load EMS bays for faster exits.

Committee members also asked about life-cycle cost impacts of the higher-durability materials and of the decontamination/ventilation systems. The architects said lifecycle savings come from reduced routine maintenance (less painting and fewer replacement finishes), more efficient mechanical zoning (variable-refrigerant systems to separate dorm and operational zones) and smaller routine energy loads when spaces are properly zoned. The firm noted that certification costs (for programs such as LEED) and the engineering and submission effort are the main incremental costs for certification itself.

The presentation closed with WJ Architects reiterating their use of Revit/BIM coordination, clash detection, and an in‑house digital-twin effort with university partners; the committee was told a recording of the presentation will be made available to the public.

No formal motion, vote or procurement decision occurred during the presentation; the session was a vendor interview and Q&A.