Virginia Beach Town Center Fire Station #7
Virginia Beach, Virginia
Overview
Virginia Beach Town Center Fire Station No. 7 and Fire Administration Headquarters is a combined public safety and administrative facility serving the City’s Town Center district while providing a centralized headquarters for Virginia Beach Fire Department leadership. The four-bay station supports 24/7 emergency response operations with firefighter living quarters, fitness and decontamination areas, apparatus support spaces, and administrative functions, while the second floor houses Fire Administration offices and departmental support spaces. Thompson Consulting Engineers provided mechanical, electrical, and plumbing design, Construction Administration, and Commissioning services, incorporating a geothermal HVAC system, vehicle exhaust management, energy-efficient lighting, and other high-performance building systems designed for the demands of continuous public safety operations. Designed for future expansion and enhanced resilience, the facility achieved LEED Silver certification while providing reliable infrastructure for both frontline emergency response and department-wide administration.
Challenges
- Designing reliable MEP and fire protection systems to support both emergency response operations and Fire Administration functions within a single facility.
- Coordinating building systems for diverse program spaces, including apparatus bays, living quarters, training areas, administrative offices, and public-facing functions.
- Providing resilient infrastructure capable of supporting continuous operations while accommodating future departmental growth and evolving technology needs.
Goals
- Deliver dependable mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection systems that support emergency response readiness around the clock.
- Create a comfortable, efficient, and functional environment for firefighters, administrative staff, and department leadership.
- Provide sustainable and maintainable building infrastructure that supports long-term operational performance and reliability.
Project Team
- Owner: City of Virginia Beach
- Architect: RRMM Architects
- Contractor: Virtexco
Results
- Consolidated Fire Station No. 7 and Fire Administration Headquarters within a single facility, improving coordination between frontline emergency operations and department leadership.
- Achieved LEED Silver certification through high-performance strategies including geothermal HVAC, LED lighting, low-flow plumbing fixtures, energy recovery, and an efficient building envelope.
- Delivered resilient, expandable infrastructure designed for continuous emergency operations and future departmental growth, while achieving an estimated 28% energy-cost savings compared with the ASHRAE 90.1-2007 baseline.
