Rescue Company 2, in Brownsville, Brooklyn, is home to some of the New York City Fire Department’s most highly trained firefighters, who are called in for rescues from high-rises, underground subway tunnels, and other precarious places. Fittingly, Studio Gang designed interior and exterior spaces to mimic these challenging environments.

Climbing
A large interior space includes a 46-foot-high training wall to practice scaling and rappelling, and a catwalk for high-up training exercises.

Crawling
An underground room simulates smoky conditions.

Scaling
Numerous windows and openings at varied angles and sizes replicate what firefighters could encounter at apartment and office buildings.

Squeezing
A manhole space is used for practicing confined rescues.
See more honorees from the 2020 Innovation by Design Awards here.