An assessment of the spatial needs of the Kampala clock tower fire station.

Abstract

Due to the growing population and the rapid economic development, Kampala city is undergoing speedy urbanization and there is also need for the growth of the fire department to ensure safety of people and their properties. Space in and outside Kampala is getting scarce due to a rapid construction of new structures, roads etc. and there is little that has been done on fire facilities. There is also need to adopt to new trends to ensure modernity and effective performance of the existing fire stations. In research context, the Kampala clock tower fire station being the first fire station in Uganda built during the colonial rule is analyzed to find out its spatial conditions. This research bases on the spatial deficiencies of this fire station in Kampala which are important reasons of the fire station under performance. It is examined that in some situations, spatial requirements in the literature are related with laws and regulations in Kampala. The building spatial attributes, New trends and design criteria of fire stations are evaluated with the available information about several implications in case studies carried out. As a result of the interviews that have been made to the administrators of KCCA, it is found out that the process of the site design of the fire stations is going on with subjective experiences in urban areas. In conclusion of this research regarding the spatial needs of fire station, a set of standards, and criteria are displayed under literature review and a set of recommendations are prepared in order to assist the authorities and urban designers when making decisions about the design of the fire stations in Uganda.