Following months of collaborative design review, the citizens of West Hollywood, Calif., recently gave an ovation and their overwhelming support to the design of a much-needed new neighborhood fire station. The structure's sweeping roof lines evoke a metaphorical umbrella, sheltering the structure's occupants, and, in turn, signifying a new protective element for the community. The design is reflective of nearby Craftsman influences, but creates a hybrid aesthetic of its own.

The station design is the outcome of a series of community forums involving neighborhood residents and Pasadena, Calif.-based CHCG Architects. “This has truly been a community-based design process,” says David Goodale, one of the project's architects. “And the result of the collaboration has been a dramatic, public-spirited piece of architecture.”

The 15,000-square-foot split-level structure will be finished with a low-slung vaulted copper roof, redwood trim and hand-worked, neutral gray plaster. It will have subterranean parking, a first for a Los Angeles County fire station; an apparatus room, offices and a dormitory.