Aesthetic Gravity Wall for Fire Station

THE CHALLENGE

Summerlin, Nevada was in desperate need of a fire/ambulance station. The neighborhood, which is within the Las Vegas city limits, had grown to over 100,000 people by 2010 and emergency services often took 20+ minutes to arrive.

Knowing that space was a major issue, the Palm Valley Golf Course in Summerlin donated land to make the project a reality. The City of Las Vegas agreed to operate the station.

The challenge was actually building the fire station. The area donated for the station was home to the golf course's 9th tee, which needed to be relocated before construction could begin. In addition, the building site contained grade changes which required a retaining wall to create space for the new station.

THE SOLUTION

The City of Las Vegas turned to local Redi-Rock manufacturer Jensen Precast for a retaining wall solution. Having seen Redi-Rock at a trade show, a city manager knew that the aesthetics and the engineering would make Redi-Rock a good fit for the project.

The Summerlin architectural committee insisted all retaining wall and columns at the fire station match the new tee box. They also wanted the blocks to match the look of the stone work on the new building. Jensen Precast accomplished this for the building's wall and for the tee box wall by supplying Ledgestone texture Redi-Rock blocks in a custom color that coordinated beautifully.

The gravity wall supporting the new station stands 7-8 feet (2.1 to 2.4 meters) tall at the highest point. In total, the project required 400 retaining wall blocks, 188 column blocks, and 48 column caps equaling 1,180 square feet (109.6 square meters).

The wall was engineered to meet the California seismic specifications and included one course of Redi-Rock 60in (1520mm) base blocks and two courses of Redi-Rock 41in (1030mm) blocks. The balance of the wall was constructed using Redi-Rock 28in (710mm) blocks.

The building itself is a 7,800 square foot (724.6 square meter), two bay station. One engine and one rescue unit are housed at the station. Six paramedics, six firefighters, three captains and three engineers are assigned to the station.

"I believe it's the best asset we have in our community," said David Steinman, former Las Vegas city councilman and treasurer for the Summerlin Community Association Inc. Board of Directors.

He added that the fire station will pay for itself, dropping $1,000 per transport in the city's coffers. The station is expected to average three transports a day.

This project was the recipient of the 2013 Rocky Award for "People's Choice Wall of the Year" from Redi-Rock International. The Rocky Awards are an annual honor recognizing the best Redi-Rock projects completed each year across the globe.

PROJECT DETAILS

Project: Las Vegas Firehouse #167 Customer: The City of Las Vegas Engineer: Martin and Martin, ES² Block Manufacturer: Jensen Precast Installer: Instant Jungle Landscape, Hardin & Sons, Richardson Construction Location: Las Vegas, Nevada Year Built: 2012