OPN +
Community Colleges for Iowa

Kirkwood Iowa Hall

Learning lifts us up.

Educating the future generation of entrepreneurs, innovators, educators, scientists, designers, and leaders is both a privilege and monumental mission.

You don’t take the charge lightly. Neither do we.

Community colleges occupy a highly competitive landscape and institutions are working hard to meet the challenges and opportunities on the horizon. For many institutions, this means looking seriously at their existing buildings and identifying innovative ways to reinvent these spaces to better prepare students for today’s workplace. For four decades, OPN Architects has been collaborating with higher education clients to meet these challenges head on. Our higher education experience is varied in size, scope, and project type. For each project, we will be your partners, exploring ways to maximize existing space, test options, and continually monitor and mange to your available construction budget to find the right balance to achieve your goals.

200+
higher education projects
25%
of our portfolio is higher education
Locally connected, regionally experienced
118 designers in five studios.
Design excellence
70+ design awards
Full service expertise
We offer a holistic blend of architecture, planning, and interior design services.

Working with us

Who We Are

Who We Are

Design Philosophy

Design Philosophy

Sustainability

Sustainability

What you can expect from us

an ego-free & respectful, collaborative spirit
local expertise with boots on the ground
more than 30 years of higher education experience
shared values & common goals

Your team of experts

Kristin Lewis Principal

OPN Des Moines

Susan Bowersox Senior Project Architect

OPN Cedar Rapids

Master Plan: A Catalyst for Change

WTF. What’s the future? It’s a question on the forefront of everyone’s mind. All colleges and universities occupy a highly competitive landscape. Institutions are working hard to meet the challenges and opportunities on the horizon. This often means identifying innovative ways to reinvent existing buildings to attract students and prepare them for the future. This process can seem daunting. But as Kirkwood and OPN know, it is also an opportunity to meet these challenges head on through creative programming, planning, design, and the careful management of resources. For more than 15 years, OPN Architects and Kirkwood Community College have partnered on master planning of the 680-acre campus with more than 1.65 million square feet in 27 buildings. After completing the phased implementation of the initial master plan, it was revisited and refreshed to look map a path for the next decade. Join OPN Architects and Kirkwood Community College in the Linear Room at 3:30 p.m. November 29 to find out how a master plan can help you map out a plan for the future of your campus and be a catalyst for change. We look forward to seeing you throughout the conference at Booth 22.

Kirkwood Community College Master Plan