Marine 9 is a Modern Fire House with a Matching Red Fireboat on the Staten Island Waterfront

Staten Island is now home to one of the city's most modern <a href="http://inhabitat.com/italian-firefighters-are-superheroes-in-their-new-cave-fire-house/" target="_blank">firehouses</a>. <a href="http://www.sageandcoombe.com/" target="_blank">Sage and Coombe Architects</a>’ Marine 9 might be red, but its green features are what make it stand out from the rest. The sustainable stacked volume combines public and private space, and even matches with the adjacent fire boat docked in the water right outside. In addition to its elegant design, the <a href="http://inhabitat.com/nyc/repurposed-barge-100-year-old-tugboat-let-new-yorkers-experience-nycs-maritime-history/" target="_blank">station</a> was built with a slew of ecological features, setting a standard for firehouses across New York.

The Firefighter 2 vessel is clad in reverse red and white, visually locking with the main building when docked.

The fire house’s red and white stacked volumes are shifted to take full advantage of the natural sunlight, lined with a <a href="http://inhabitat.com/nyc/black-glass-leed-gold-office-tower-by-fumihiko-maki-planned-for-astor-place/" target="_blank">wall of glazed floor to ceiling windows</a> which block solar gain, while giving the firemen full view of their fire boat docked outside.

Sage and Coombe built the complex with sustainability and energy efficiency in mind. <a href="http://inhabitat.com/green-roofed-house-is-a-four-season-home-in-beautiful-ontario/" target="_blank">A green roof</a> filters rain run off, keeps the interior cool, and provides an infusion of greenery to the stark waterfront pier.

<a href="http://inhabitat.com/solar-powered-great-barrier-house-fuses-modern-technology-and-island-life/" target="_blank">Solar power</a> is used in many ways, as a hot water system, in passive solar heating, and for daylighting. Natural ventilation keeps climate control costs low, as does passive shading.

Like a standard fire house, the Marine 9 has all the comforts of home- a kitchen, dormitory, gym, offices and machine shop, only <a href="http://inhabitat.com/nyc/reimagining-the-waterfront-contest-winner-proposes-a-venice-like-canal-network-for-nyc/" target="_blank">set on the waterfront</a> instead of a residential street.

A main entrance hall incorporates the stair way to the second floor, and meets with the private section of the fire house. The modern structure combines the traditions of the fire house, like sliding pole, with modern sustainable design, which is sure to influence fire houses elsewhere.