Marine Company 1

New York, USA

Photo © John Muggenborg

Architects: CDR Studio Architects PC

Year: 2011

Marine Company 1 is a publicly commissioned homeland-security facility for the Fire Department of New York City in partnership with the Hudson River Park Trust. The project houses Manhattan's last remaining fire boat company. The site is located on Pier 53 at the end of Bloomfield Street, which borders the edge of the West Village. The pier level includes a drive-through garage and staging area for fire trucks and Special Operation Command vehicles, as well as buoy storage. The footprint of the company house is minimized to preserve sightlines from the future park. As a result, the 9,000 ft² facility is a vertical stack of program. The second level is a series of shearing zones connecting but also distinguishing shared activities of the company corps, and the third level is an array of particularized spaces clustered around the inner core of the locker room.

The constant impact of natural conditions along the Hudson River frontage was considered an opportunity. Rather than erase the site’s traces, the project aimed to embrace the rawness and patina of the site without nostalgia. Each of the faceted surfaces of the building is articulated according to the program areas they serve and the ephemeral qualities embraced.