San Francisco Floating Fire Station 35

Situated at Pier 22½ just beside the Bay Bridge, this groundbreaking project is creating a benchmark for marine construction. The first of its kind in the Western Hemisphere, San Francisco’s Floating Fireboat Station No. 35 integrates the land with the sea, creating an emergency response building that literally rolls with the tides.

Responding to the city's pressing need for enhanced fire and marine safety on the Bay; Floating Fireboat Station 35 was conceived. Constructing the station atop a float was the solution to critical future scenarios; climate change and risk of a major earthquake. Permanently anchored to four robust steel piles, the building gracefully rises and falls with the tides, seamlessly accommodating sea-level rise. Its seismic design, and built independently from land, ensures the ability to withstand a major earthquake and continue to function as a maritime command center.

The new station, a two-story building on a 16,600 sq. ft. steel barge secured by four 60 in. x 150 ft. long steel guide piles, boasts features tailored to its crucial mission. It provides immediate access to multiple fireboats and rescue craft, including jet skis, essential rescue equipment, storage, a Maritime Disaster Operation Center, and expanded facilities for firefighters.

The city’s need for enhanced fire and marine safety has been met; and with ingenuity and community support, Floating Fireboat Station 35 has risen to the occasion.

Our all-star design-build team, which includes Power Engineering Construction, Swinerton, Liftech Consultants Inc., and Shah Kawasaki Architects, was awarded the prestigious 2023 Project Excellence Award by The Coastal, Oceans, Ports, and Rivers Institute (COPRI) for engineering excellence in the Small Project category.