Much of the credit for the success of Fire Station #62 belongs to Chad Grover, the architect at Grover & Company who was instrumental in the decision to build the exterior shell of the building with ICFs.

Grover, who passed away last year, built his own home from insulating concrete forms, so he was already familiar with the benefits they offered. When the City of Kalispell asked him to design the new city fire station and training facility, he knew ICFs could provide energy efficiency, healthy air quality, and speed of construction they required.

The result is quite stunning. With a combination of stone, stucco, and heavy timbers, the building blends well with
the town’s architectural style. A 39’ tall ICF tower used for training drills
separates the equipment bays from the rest of the station. 

Knowing that ICFs minimize sound transfer, Grover incorporated an interior ICF demising wall to separate sleeping quarters from the office/station/training facilities. Staff report it’s a quiet, comfortable place to sleep—a major consideration for a station that answers more than 4,800 calls a year.

The station is so well designed, in fact, that it won the national fire chiefs’ “Station Style Award” for 2006.

It has also received attention from other cities. Fire officials from one Canadian township saw photos of the building and were so impressed, they immediately ordered a copy of the plans to build their own ICF fire station.

The winning qualities of Fire Station #62 go beyond its architecture. Built from Logix ICF, and matched with durable, low-maintenance finishes, it will easily outlast its specified 50 to 100-year lifespan. A high efficiency hydronic heating system keeps the building warm through the harsh Montana winters at a fraction of the cost expected. The building used only 30% of its heating/cooling budget during its first year of operation.