Designing to Guide Celina’s Future Growth
HED served as lead architect for the City of Celina’s new Fire Station No. 3, providing planning, design, and construction phase administration for the facility. The station is designed for two companies and includes two captain’s quarters, a dorm room with twelve bunks, and five drive-through bays to support both fire and medical response.
From the outset, the City approached HED with a request that went beyond a single building: the station needed to serve as a prototype for future satellite facilities as Celina continues to experience rapid population growth. This meant that the design had to be both highly functional for fire operations and adaptable as a repeatable model for other sites.
To achieve this, HED’s team coordinated closely with the fire department and city facilities planning staff. Together, they explored three possible aesthetic design solutions, each balancing operational needs with the desire for a civic identity rooted in neighborhood context. The challenge was to design a building that could stand as a recognizable public facility while still harmonizing with adjacent residential development.
The final design, unanimously approved by the City Council, reflects this balance. The station’s scale, material palette, and detailing relate to the surrounding neighborhood, while its prominent bays and civic frontage clearly signal its identity as a fire station. This approach makes the building both integrated into its setting and visible as critical public infrastructure.
In addition to its architectural presence, Fire Station No. 3 emphasizes functionality. The five drive-through bays allow for efficient movement of apparatus, while the dormitory layout supports rapid response times. Shared captain’s quarters and bunk rooms are organized for operational efficiency and staff comfort, allowing the building to accommodate shifts of up to ten fire and medical staff.
By creating a facility that blends operational excellence with contextual sensitivity, HED helped Celina realize a station that is more than a response hub but also a template for the city’s future. As Celina continues to grow, Fire Station No. 3 provides a tested, community-centered model that can be adapted to meet the city’s evolving needs.
