Insights

Insights

03.07.23
Marion Fire Station 1 featured in March issue of Architectural Record
Marion Fire Station 1 is highlighted in the March issue of Architectural Record magazine. The civic issue showcases public buildings in Nova Scotia, Milan, Zurich, San Francisco, and Marion, Iowa.   The two-level 21,000-square-foot fire station reduces response ...
03.24.23
Ellis Golf Course Clubhouse honored with Wood Design Award

The new clubhouse at Ellis Golf Course in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, has been honored with a Regional Excellence Wood Design Award. The annual U.S. Wood Design Awards celebrates excellence in wood building design. Projects are judged by a jury …

03.23.23
College of Pharmacy earns LEED Silver certification

The University of Iowa’s new College of Pharmacy building has earned LEED Silver certification. Complete in December 2019, the building was officially dedicated in 2021 due to COVID-19. The new 210,000-square-foot building replaced the 1960s College of Pharmacy …

03.07.23
Marion Fire Station 1 featured in March issue of Architectural Record

Marion Fire Station 1 is highlighted in the March issue of Architectural Record magazine. The civic issue showcases public buildings in Nova Scotia, Milan, Zurich, San Francisco, and Marion, Iowa.   The two-level 21,000-square-foot fire station reduces response …

03.07.23
Trauma-informed design shapes community for human trafficking survivors

The impact of human trafficking ripples across the fabric of our communities.  Through force, fraud, and coercion, human traffickers violate a most basic right – to be free. Understanding that access to stable housing is critical to preventing …

02.08.23
Seven promoted for commitment to each other, practice

Our 2023 promotions are a group of extraordinary professionals who have shown consistent growth in their career at OPN. All OPN employees embrace our responsibility to care for each other and our planet through extraordinary design and a …

02.08.23
Adapting a 100-year-old library for the future

Owatonna is a community of around 30,000 located one hour south of the Twin Cites. Built in 1901, the Owatonna Public Library has high ceilings and big windows that pull natural daylight deep into the library collection and programming …

02.07.23
Marshall County Courthouse restoration a symbol of resiliency

A symbol of resiliency for a community devastated by a EF-3 tornado in 2018 and again by an inland hurricane in 2020, the Marshall County Courthouse was re-dedicated on Nov. 19, 2022, exactly 136 years after the building …

12.09.22
Shannon Liggett earns ACHA certification

Experienced, Certified, Preferred OPN’s Healthcare Planner, Shannon Liggett, achieves American College of Healthcare Architects (ACHA) certification. ACHA provides board certification to architects who specialize in healthcare through a rigorous and thorough testing process, portfolio submission, and continuing education …

11.08.22
2 OPN-designed buildings earn AIA Central States Honor Awards

OPN Architect’s Marion Fire Station Headquarters and the Linn County Dr. Percy & Lileah Harris Public Health Building were among seven projects chosen to receive Architecture Honor Awards in this year’s American Institute of Architects Central States Region Excellence …

10.06.22
Retreat 2022: #OPNMPLS

Over OPN’s 40+ year history, as our firm has grown from 10 to 50 to more than 100, we have treasured our annual tradition of bringing staff from throughout the Midwest to a central location to connect, celebrate, …