Set in an industrial section of town, the design team working on the new Hendersonville Fire Station #2 in Hendersonville, N.C., was seeking a strong and modern look. Accent panels from Citadel Architectural Products provided the durability and aesthetics they were looking for.

“The fire department and city were looking for a more contemporary and industrial looking design, since Fire Station No. 2 was going into an industrial area of Hendersonville,” says Keith Carlyon, senior principal at ADW Architects in Charlotte, N.C. “We selected elements of metal siding, metal panels, metal roofing, rubbed concrete and glass to give the station an industrial aesthetic. The sloping roofs and dormers take their shape from the sloping mountains in the area. Other elements of glass and brick in larger sizes were used to create a more contemporary feel.”

The Envelope 2000 panel from Citadel Architectural Products is a composite panel consisting of two aluminum skins bonded to a thermoset phenolic resin core. LEED eligible, it can be used as exterior cladding on walls, canopies, fascia and accent bands.

“When the industrial aesthetic direction was chosen, we looked at incorporating metal elements, particularly metal roofing and metal wall panels,” Carlyon says. “Because we design fire stations to last between 50 and 75 years, we are always looking to use products that are durable and long lasting.”

For this project, fabrication of the Citadel products was done onsite. Orion Daniel of Daniel Associates in Charlotte, served as the representative for Citadel.

“Honestly, it was a pretty straightforward job for our crew,” says Chris Frey, project manager from WaynCo Roofing of Stallings, N.C. “We’ve got some of the best in the state, so we fabricate everything onsite. We fabricate as we go, so some guys are installing as other guys are fabricating. Our guys are all cross-trained to do both.”

Frey says fabricating in the field can save anywhere from four to eight weeks on a given job and it allows his crews to install as soon as the building is ready. If he waits until the building is ready to measure what his crew will need, it will take extra time for the material to be fabricated and delivered.

“And then I’m not working around landscapers and other crews,” he says. “That saves us time and hassle. We get in and out as soon as we can.”
Frey says he’s done a handful of projects installing Citadel Architectural Products during the last couple years and has two more on the books moving forward, one in Georgia and another in South Carolina. “We do what we can to get Citadel into the right specs,” he says.

“We are very pleased with the project,” Carlyon says. “First and foremost, because it functions for the Hendersonville Fire Department. Secondly, because we were able to achieve our design goals to create a fire station that both reflected its surroundings and be a beacon to the community.”