Parafield Ambulance Station

A sawtooth roof form provides light and ventilation into the large precast concrete ambulance bay, with the skillion roof form extended and repeated on the various volumes of the lightweight admin building, tying the large single storey building together into a cohesive whole. The training room roof raises to the street to create a civic presence with a high internal ceiling height, and the eaves of the main roof over the offices spaces cantilever to provide sunshading to the western sun.

The Ambulance Bay or vehicle garage is located close to the boundary in the eastern corner of the site to enable the most efficient exit times for the emergency vehicles housed within. Precision planning sites the crew room closest to the centre of the ambulance bay and the other rooms used as part of the live station (kitchen, study, rest areas) close by. The office and training rooms are brought to the front of the site as they are the most public spaces. The design allows for future expansion of the ambulance bay and sleep over zones should it be required. A landscaped courtyard has several functions, providing passive ventilation and views to ‘biofilia’, working as a flexible private space for staff to break while on call, and also as an overflow external medical training space.

Prefinished materials such as precast concrete, colorbond cladding and insulated panel roofing as chosen to minimise maintenance costs. ESD features include good cross ventilation, CO monitoring linked to high level windows to mitigate requirement for mechanical ventilation in the ambulance bay, energy efficient lighting, water fixtures (and re-use), bike parking facilities, and environmentally friendly internal finished selections.