Feuer- und Rettungswache Monheim am Rhein

Short description

Demolition and new construction of the fire station in Monheim during ongoing operations

The project

Turnkey construction of the new fire station consists of two construction phases: Firstly, the replacement building for the existing fire-fighting and vehicle equipment has to be constructed on an available free area. Once the fire service has been moved into the new building, the existing building will be demolished and the second construction phase completed.

Services in detail

The construction project involves the construction of a new fire station on the site of Monheim’s main fire station, which is currently operational. Two construction phases are planned for the new construction on this site, allowing the fire service to continue its operations. In addition to the professional fire brigade with all its functional units (control centre, administration, recreation rooms, practice area, storage space, vehicle halls etc.), the building will also have space for the voluntary and youth fire brigades.

Building structure and access:
The buildings within the complex are arranged in a diamond shape around an inner courtyard which will serve as a workspace, practice area and organisational space for the fire brigade. The building has two to three storeys and a partial basement level. The diagonal extent of the diamond shape is approximately 110 by 95 metres. Meanwhile, the diagonals of the inner courtyard are around 80 by 60 metres.

The basement floor serves as an underground car park with some 67 parking spaces, as well as a technology control centre for the building services. It is situated partly below the rising structure and partly beneath the inner courtyard. The ground floor contains various functional areas, such as vehicle halls, workshops, storage areas and disinfection stations. The vehicle halls and workshops will have two storeys, with a total height of around seven metres. The first floor contains spaces for a range of uses, such as offices, a training room, space for the youth fire brigade, and storage areas.

The second floor does not cover the entire surface area of the ground plan. It houses additional administration and staff rooms, rest areas and a kitchen. A free-standing drill tower with a height of around 18.5 metres is also planned for the inner courtyard area. The vehicle halls are designed to be drive-through in some parts and accessible from only one side in others. The inner courtyard is connected to the outer area via a covered passageway built through the top floor.

The building is constructed in reinforced concrete. Building joints are being used in order to account for the fact that the work has to take place in two phases in order to ensure that the operations of the fire brigade can continue as normal. In addition, the use of such joints is recommended from a usability standpoint when working with an angled floor plan (in order to limit crack widths). Wall panels arranged in a suitable configuration ensure that the building complex has the necessary horizontal rigidity.

Challenges

In addition to turnkey construction of the new building complex, an essential part of the work is ensuring that the Monheim fire brigade can continue to operate as normal and without any restrictions throughout the entire construction period.