The Watauga Emergency Management Service Facility is an investment in public safety, thoughtfully designed to support its occupants and the community. At approximately 25,000 square feet, the building will be home to a full EMS facility, a communications center, an emergency operations center, and more. Located on one of the main arteries into Boone, NC, the consolidation of these resources will enhance coordination to better serve Watauga County.
Material selections in the design will communicate the purpose and placement of this facility within the community. Dark brick will convey longevity, stability, and strength. Wood-like phenolic panels, which relate to the surrounding white oak trees, will highlight places of gathering as well as signify the entrance. The metal plank siding on the exterior and overall building form, inspired by the simple barn structures prevalent in the vernacular architecture of the region, will establish this building as part of its greater context. Materials will be carried from the exterior into the interior, grounding the building in the landscape. Accents will include brick walls running through the building, phenolic panels bringing warmth and texture into the meeting room, and a green and blue color pallet throughout that evokes the Blue Ridge Mountains.
The footprint of the building will contain spaces of multiple varied but interrelated functions. At 5,000 square feet, the ambulance bay will be capable of deploying four vehicles. In the responders’ common area, a kitchen with an eat-in bar and large communal dining table will open to a lounge, providing a space to decompress and share meals. Workstations for administrative duties within the common area will feature windows that look into the ambulance bay, allowing teams to stay visually connected while completing separate tasks. Conscious of the time emergency responders spend on duty, the living quarters will be a place to find comfort and build comradery, while supporting mental and physical health. The bunk rooms will be sheltered within the building core to minimize exterior noise with additional acoustical measures to minimize interruptions.
The facility’s communication center will be a highly specialized, core program element. Bullet proof and capable of being entirely self-sustaining for 72 hours, this suite will follow stringent regulatory guidelines while making considerations for users’ wellbeing. The communication center will be equipped with its own kitchen, food storage, bathroom, HVAC systems, and generator. As a consequence of the strict design requirements, these facilities often lack natural lighting, putting further strain on the dispatchers’ demanding role. However, the design will overcome this through the incorporation of high, clerestory windows, which eliminate the risk of a direct line of sight caused by typical viewing-height windows. The translucent panels of the clerestory will allow diffuse daylight into the space, supporting occupants’ health and responding to direct requests from end users.
Completing the 25,000 square foot design, the building will also house offices for county workers, emergency management personnel, and the Fire Marshall; storage space for emergency equipment and general county needs; and an Emergency Operations Center designed to be a home base for FEMA, FBI, SWAT, and similar critical teams during emergency situations. These resources, paired with the other facilities within the building, will require varying levels of security including checkpoints, controlled access, and visual barriers. Mitigating the impact of these security measures on user experience, the cohesive design will create an intricate access control system that prioritizes safety while preserving a welcoming atmosphere.
Opening in 2026, the Watauga EMS Facility will modernize the community’s emergency services to better serve residents. Additionally, the consideration of occupant physical and mental wellbeing in the design highlights the county’s commitment to the staff and first responders who have dedicated themselves to helping others. The opening of this state-of-the-art facility will undoubtedly mark a new chapter for Watauga’s public safety.
