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The San Jose Fire Department required a new facility. Station 20 had served the airport and surrounding area for almost 60 years. The traffic at SJC airport reached a new record of over 15 million passengers in 2019, and major housing developments for thousands of new residents in North San Jose demonstrated the need for more expansive fire-fighting resources and capacity. Fire Station 20 would serve not only the airport but also the surrounding community, a goal that made the project much more complex and demanding. Biggs Cardosa was retained to design the new facility and meet the project demands.
The structure and surrounding elements had to meet the fire life safety requirements of more than one jurisdiction, which required handling competing security standards, additional utilities and HVAC systems. Nonetheless, the project was completed on time and within budget, and it boasts a perfect safety record.
The new fire station is a 18,000 sf structural steel facility with five apparatus bays facing the runways and one to serve residences and businesses, a landside apparatus bay, a maintenance bay, and a residential wing, which includes six dormitories and related living and administrative areas. The apparatus bays house the airport’s four Air Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) vehicles and a repair station.
Design priorities included achieving LEED Silver Certification, making the buildings sustainable, high-performing, and environmentally responsible.
