The main streets that border this site in Temescal, Oakland inspire the buildings’ non-orthogonal angles, and provide the basis for a formal exploration of volumetric shifts that dictate programmatic organization.

 

The western volume encompasses communal programmatic activities while the eastern volume houses the private, individual spaces demanded by the firehouse program. The stairway between the two volumes becomes an open-air zone of interaction and exchange.

 

The central circulation zone opens to the south, allowing light to reflect on the walls and bounce into the interiors of both volumes. The sizes of the apertures are determined by the lighting needs of the programmatic activities within.