Minnesota Fallen Firefighters Memorial in Saint Paul by Leo A Daly

Article source: Leo A Daly

A new memorial designed pro bono by international architecture/engineering firm LEO A DALY honors the sacrifice of firefighters killed in the line of duty while serving Minnesota communities. Completed in September 2012, the memorial is located on the State Capitol grounds in Saint Paul and houses the Minnesota Firefighters Memorial Statue, previously on display at the Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport.

view of pavilion from plaza : Image Courtesy © Bill Baxley 

• Architects: Leo A Daly
• Project: Minnesota Fallen Firefighters Memorial
• Location: Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA
• Photography: Bill Baxley
• Project Team: The entire team worked with the Minnesota Fire Service Foundation on a pro bono basis
  LEO A DALY – Design, project management and cost estimation
  Westwood Professional Services – Survey and civil engineering
  General Contractor – Meisinger Construction
  EDR, Ltd., of Siren, Wis. – Fabricated the memorial’s pavilion
  Douglas O. Freeman, at Casting Creations of Minnesota – Refinished the original Minnesota Fire Service Memorial Statue sculpted by him in 1987

inscription sleeves : Image Courtesy © Bill Baxley

The vision for the memorial is to provide a meaningful experience for Capitol visitors—those with direct connections to the fire service and those who appreciate their efforts. The design of the 6,000-square-foot memorial incorporates symbols evocative of the fire service. The ground leading to the memorial slopes upward, presenting visitors with a view of a cast stone wall covered with inscriptions of the 791 fire departments throughout the state. The wall subdivides the site into a landscaped garden and a paved gathering area.

view from within the pavilion : Image Courtesy © Bill Baxley

A large monolith forms a ceiling above the statue of a firefighter rescuing a child. Supported by a field of slender columns, it creates a pavilion that intercedes between the monumental scale of the Capitol grounds and the smaller scale of the statue. The pavilion is made of weathering steel plate, which rusts to form a protective coating—a process similar to the oxidation of fire.

up through the pavilion oculus : Image Courtesy © Bill Baxley

Names of fallen firefighters are inscribed on sleeves affixed to the columns. Today, 86 columns are part of the grid, recording the years in which Minnesota firefighters have died in the line of duty, and the design allows room for necessary additions. Outside the pavilion, a sculpted cedar bench with a burned finish provides a place for reflection.

dedication wall detail : Image Courtesy © Bill Baxley

Underlying Technology

At first glance, the memorial is simple-looking, small in scope and built with low-tech materials. But it is a complex project that benefited from state-of-the-art digital technologies at each stage of design and construction. The design team used a BIM (Revit) model as the central location of all project information.

bench detail : Image Courtesy © Bill Baxley

Many inputs were entered into the model for use in the design, including Excel spreadsheets of inscription information, historical records, and design data from Adobe Illustrator, AutoCAD and SketchUp. Because the project demanded durability and an exacting level of detail, the team’s ability to create digital outputs for precise fabrication enabled a high level of quality.

dedication wall signage detail : Image Courtesy © Bill Baxley

Though the project was fairly typical of a design/build model, the use of BIM also allowed the team to maintain a tight schedule of design reviews, revisions and construction. The team was also able to rapidly coordinate technical issues to complete the project in time for a dedication event that was months in the planning.

pavilion detail : Image Courtesy © Bill Baxley

overall view of memorial : Image Courtesy © Bill Baxley

pavilion detail : Image Courtesy © Bill Baxley

view of pavilion and bench : Image Courtesy © Bill Baxley

longitudinal section through memorial : Image Courtesy Leo A Daly

memorial site aerial : Image Courtesy Leo A Daly

overall aerial view showing capitol mall and site location : Image Courtesy Leo A Daly

transverse section through memorial : Image Courtesy Leo A Daly

Tags: Minnesota, Saint Paul

Category: Memorial

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