HQW Architects has provided full architectural services for the creation or renovation of several firehouses and fire training facilities. Clients include: Warren County, Sparta Township, the Town of Newton, the Borough of Mount Arlington, and Fredon Township. These facilities and the functions that they support are vital to our community’s heath and wellbeing. HQW understands the critical nature of each of these projects and takes special care to ensure that all functional requirements are documented prior to the beginning of design. This careful planning helps to ensure that in emergency situations the facilities always function as intended.

HQW Architects has a long history of working with municipalities of various sizes to create, upgrade, and expand their public works facilities. Two long-time clients that we have had the privilege of working with repeatedly over the years are the Town of Newton and the Borough of Mount Arlington.

Work completed for the Newton facility included a new ten bay garage featuring an employee lounge and locker rooms, a four bay small equipment garage with two open storage bays, a cast concrete wall salt shed, a two bay athletic league building, and a pre-cast material storage structure.

Work at the Mount Arlington facility included a new addition containing a new lobby, bathrooms, offices, and flex-space. Renovation projects included the installation of new overhead garage doors, a new roof, new fascias, and refinishing of the exterior of the existing main building. The existing break room and bathroom were also upgraded.

Warren County, New Jersey
Area: 12,000 sq. ft.

Warren County http://www.co.warren.nj.us came into existence in 1825 when an act of the New Jersey Legislature, took effect and separated the area from Sussex County. Located along the Delaware River, the development of Warren County has always been heavily influenced by the transportation and communication systems of the area.

In response to modern demands on communication infrastructure, HQW Architects designed the Warren County 911 Communications Center building as a completely self-sufficient facility created to operate under extreme emergency conditions. The building houses the Office of Emergency Management, the Office of the Fire Marshal, and the Fire Academy administrative staff and classrooms. The building was strategically located to receive radio transmissions clearly with its 200’ high radio tower.

Sparta, New Jersey
Area: 32,000 sq. ft.

Located in the heart of the Skylands Region, Historic Sparta Township http://www.spartanj.org/ is a residential community with beautiful lakes, mountains, and farmland. When the Township’s municipal building had reached the end of its useful building cycle, HQW Architects was commissioned to design a new building that would meet the current needs of the Township while providing flexibility for future expansion and space reconfiguration.

The result is an imposing building that draws its design aesthetic from the rich architectural heritage of the community. The facility consists of a police station on the entire lower level featuring state-of-the-art security systems as well as a simple yet flexible technology infrastructure. The upper level consists of a court room designed to provide a superior acoustic environment for enhanced speech intelligibility and multi-media capabilities. Surrounding the courtroom on the upper level is ring of flexible office spaces arranged in suites to allow for greater workspace flow and increased office efficiency.

Newton, New Jersey
Area: 11,700 sq. ft.

Located approximately 60 miles northwest of New York City and nestled in the heart of the Skylands region, the Town of Newton http://www.newtontownhall.com is the County Seat for Sussex County, New Jersey. Incorporated in 1864, the Town enjoys a rich historic heritage dating back to 1751.

On two separate occasions, HQW Architects was commissioned to provide architectural services to create or expand the Town’s municipal building. In both instances uninterrupted service to the community was a priority which was accomplished through project phasing. The current municipal building includes administrative facilities as well as police headquarters. Specific spaces include a courtroom, conference rooms, offices, holding cells, and interview rooms.

Lafayette, New Jersey
Area: 5,400 sq. ft.

Located in the Great Appalachian Valley in the shadows of the Kittatinny Mountain Range, Lafayette Township is rural community with a unique sense of community. Formed in 1845 and named after the Marquis de Lafayette, the Township wanted their new municipal building to reflect the rich history and character of area.

HQW Architects designed a building that drew inspiration for the surrounding historic residential buildings in the town. The result is a municipal facility that functions in a very modern way while retaining the charm and quality of the Township’s past.

Newton, New Jersey
Area: 48,000 sq. ft.

This delicate balance was achieved with the design and construction of the Keogh-Dwyer Correctional Facility. Conceived as a state-of-the-art detention center when constructed, this building has often been used as a prototype for new prison construction. Innovations include a completely barless prison with high impact glass replacing traditional bars in the cell structure, complete computer automation with small sensors within the cells to allow guards to remotely monitor detainee activity, and prisoner segregation for command and control functions. The two story day rooms allowed prisoners to exercise and communicate while allowing guards to easily oversee all activities.

Newton, New Jersey
Area: 26,000 sq. ft. 

Historically, Fredon Township was a small community at the crossroads of an active transportation junction.  Over the years the community has grown, and with this growth came the requirement for upgraded municipal facilities.  HQW Architects were retained to study the community needs and translate these into an affordable structure that could be expanded upon in the future.

The challenge was met by designing a multi-use building that incorporates the township’s complete programmatic requirements. The new facility houses the Township’s ambulance corp., fire house, municipal offices, a recreational gymnasium, and serves as an emergency management center.

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