Due to increased demands of a growing community, the new Spring Volunteer Fire Department No. 78 facility, north of Houston in Spring, TX, was completed recently - with the help of metal roofing and soffit panels from MBCI.

Spring Volunteer Fire Department No. 78 was originally built in 1971. As part of one of the fastest-growing metropolises in the United States, the area Fire Station 78 served grew tremendously over four-plus decades. As the third largest combined fire department in the state, currently the Spring Volunteer Fire Department No. 78 provides emergency services to a population of approximately 125,000 people across 110 square miles.

With the growing community’s needs and size of the equipment needed to support the increased demand, a new facility was necessary and construction commenced. One of the challenges was increasing the size of the facility to house the additional equipment needed within, while being restricted to the size of its existing lot. With a long service life in mind to serve the community for years to come, a metal standing seam roof was selected for the project.

Metal was chosen for this project for its aesthetic, energy-efficiency and longevity. Ricardo Martinez, Architect and Vice President of Joiner Partnership Inc., said, “The aesthetic appearance of the pitched metal roof panels and soffit panel profiles were large determining factors. We also were concerned with solar reflectivity and maintaining the energy performance of the building envelope.”

Designed to withstand the most rigorous weather conditions and engineered to last for years, approximately 7,000 square feet of MBCI’s standing seam metal roof panels, SuperLok®, were used on the structure.

In addition to the standing seam metal roof, approximately 2,000 square feet of MBCI's Artisan® Series panels were used as soffits on the fire station. The Artisan® Series panels simplify the design process with their uniform dimensions and flush face.

All metal panels were coated with MBCI’s Signature® 300 medium bronze, which is a cool roof coating with a 0.25 solar reflectance, a 0.83 thermal emittance and a Solar Reflectivity Index (SRI) rating of 22. Although not the highest of ratings, medium bronze does provide properties to reflect and emit the sun’s heat instead of absorbing and conducting it to the building, decreasing the fire station’s energy costs.

The facility’s design was so well-received that it was replicated three times. Martinez said, “Although the facility maintained the same floor plan the owners wanted to accent the exterior aesthetics of the facility. The roof played an integral part of this accomplishment.”

The roofing contractor was Cotton Roofing and the general contractor was Brookstone Construction, both of Houston, Texas.