Wimberley Fire Rescue kept local dark skies in mind when it renovated and expanded “the fire station.”
One of many goals for the remodeled facility, 111 Green Acres, was fitting in with the Wimberley Valley’s International Dark Sky designation.
The local firm chosen to design the changes, Office of Architecture (ooA), was experienced in Dark Sky lighting.
“All of our clients here in Wimberley are totally onboard with the (Dark Sky lighting) idea,” said Dax Morton, architect and Director of Operations at ooA, located in the Poco Rio commercial park. Dax’s grandfather, Neel Morton, moved the firm to Wimberley in the early 2000s. They both worked on the Fire Rescue design.
The firm had done the renovation of the Wimberley EMS building, so Fire Rescue was aware of their work. The fire station modernization included a new adjacent building so the firefighters – who had been crowded into the truck bays building – would have private dorm rooms, a day room, a full kitchen and a workout room.
“That freed up space in the (truck bay) building,” Morton said. “It was a big upgrade.”
Night - f r iendly lighting was part of the exterior upgrade, which included a new entry and a covering on the space between the two buildings to visually join them. Each bay for the fire vehicles needed to have good exterior lighting, yet not “light pollute” the surrounding area or the sky above.
“We had to make sure the spaces are well lit, so it is not a safety issue,” Morton said. “When you see it at night, it’s well-lit and easy to identify, but you can see there is not uplighting, and the light is staying on the property. It’s not compromising their neighbors.”
Each bay has a dedicated exterior light that faces down, and is shielded by location and design to keep light from trespassing areas away from the fire station.
