Architecture firm Studio Gang has designed a fire station for Brooklyn, where emergency workers will be able to live, work, and use the building itself for training exercises.

Located in the Brownsville area of Brooklyn, New York, the 20,000-square-foot (1,858 square metres) station will be made of precast concrete panels with large openings edged in red-glazed terracotta.

The design is organised around a three-storey void designed to bring light and air into the centre of the structure. This can also be used for training practice to simulate New York's vertical urban fabric of windows, balconies, fire escapes and ledges.

Fire trucks and emergency equipment will be able to enter or exit the building from two sides, speeding up response times.

The blocky massing of the structure will be broken up by multiple openings that will allow many of the activities within to be visible to passersby. These are highlighted by the red panels, which are intended to add detail and emphasise the areas where the building connects to outdoor and public spaces.

The building includes part-time living quarters for the firefighters, a large communal kitchen and dining area, as well as all the storage, equipment, and facilities necessary for rescue work.

The building will also have a pair of accessible green roof areas for outdoor recreation and relaxation, as well as integrated planters. One of these planters at the corner of the building and be large enough to hold a tree.

"With its adaptable spaces, environmental approach, and civic scale, the new Rescue 2 firehouse is both a neighbourhood fixture and important piece of infrastructure, supporting a highly trained corps who safeguard those who call New York home," said the architecture firm.

The project will serve Fire Company Number 2, which is tasked with a responding to a wide variety of emergency situations including, fires, building collapses, and water and scuba rescues.

The project has received city approval and building work will start in June, with an expected completion date of late 2017.

Founded in Chicago by Jeanne Gang, Studio Gang recently opened a New York office to manage this project and others include the renovation and expansion of the American Museum of Natural History in Manhattan. In Chicago, Studio Gang is currently working on the city's third tallest skyscraper.