CATCHING FIRE!
I moved to Boulder to work at WORKSHOP8 two weeks after the 2013 floods that devastated many of our communities. One day shortly after I started, I sat down with Brandy with a sketch of my vision for how we could help affected communities. We made a few phone calls to some leads who might know of how we could plug in architecturally with no luck. About six months passed with not much progress.
Then, one morning, I was looking over RFPs (requests for proposals) and noticed the re-build of the Jamestown Volunteer Fire Station; I jumped in my chair!! This was our chance to contribute our architectural services to a community in need. We quickly partnered with Faurot Construction, JVA, and Boulder Engineering, whipped up a proposal, and were awarded the project to replace the flood-damaged firehouse shortly after. YES!
We collaborated closely with the Town of Jamestown, the Volunteer Fire Department, and Faurot Construction over the past eight months to create a project that the entire community supports and is proud of. It now stands as a beacon upon arriving in Jamestown with a red hot roof and shiny new metal siding.
photo by: Ryan Lawrence
Last Friday after work, Joseph and I hauled some of the WORKSHOP8 crew up the mountain to join the Town of Jamestown in celebration of all the hard work that went into the design and construction of the brand new Jamestown Volunteer Fire Station. It was emotional and awesome.
photos by: Sal DeVincenzo
The JVFD Fire Chief, Arne Metzger and I came up with the idea for this checker board concept in the upstairs community room. WORKSHOP8 gifted the JVFD a set of giant checkers as a firehouse-warming gift. Joseph and Graham teamed up to kick butt over the girl’s team (Chelsea, Kate, Melissa, Brandy and me), but it was great to see the kids take over on the second game.
What a great way to celebrate the successful completion of such a meaningful project!
For me personally, this project has re-affirmed why I am passionate about design and what I believe it can help achieve for communities. I know design is a small piece of the big puzzle for rebuilding after the 2013 floods, but damn does it feel good to have been a part of it.
Mountain Strong!
