Disney fire station blends in nicely - with a little help from Mickey
How do you design a fire and police station that is functional yet part of the Disney fantasy? Hong Kong government architects hope they have found the answer - paint it green and keep it low key.
Working under strict height limitations and with involvement from Disney, the architects are confident the complex's garden architecture-style will blend in.
It comprises five structures, including a Victorian-style appliance bay, a two-storey firefighters' office with a central courtyard, a police post, a utility building and a training tower.
The colour, lighting and height of the structures have been carefully designed to minimise visual impact and harmonise with other structures in the theme park.
And Disney has managed to makes its presence felt inside the complex.
Two special lamps, with a tiny head of Mickey Mouse on top, have been erected next to the utility building and training tower.
Unlike the fire station at the Florida Disneyland, which is painted in pink and sandstone, the complex will have a green roof and window frames.
Anthony Wilson, chief architect of the Architectural Services Department, said the colour scheme suited their design concept.
'We went to Orlando's Disneyland during vacation to look at theirs [fire station]. Things are very different there but they still made us understand what standards the theme park is looking for,' he said.
The disciplinary forces were allowed a greater say in the interior design and their functions. The police kept its corporate blue for its reporting room while the fire engines will continue to be in red.
The whole 8,200-square-metre site is subject to a height of no more than 15 metres. The firefighters' training tower had to be cut short to meet the requirement.
Architects have also minimised street lighting within the complex boundary to keep it as dark as possible at night.
Giant solar panels have been installed on the roof facing south, which could meet about 10 per cent of the building's energy demands. Large windows and the courtyard also minimise lighting costs.
Rainwater collected from the roof will be used to wash vehicles and for gardening.
Total construction cost is around $16 million, about 15 per cent more than a conventional one.
The complex has been open for use since late last year. A fire services spokesman said they had deployed 60 firefighters to the station and four fire engines which would be able to reach the theme park in six minutes.
