Designers make many decisions that directly affect a building’s impact on the environment.   One of the first – and potentially the most important – questions should be: “Is there an existing building we can use instead?” This is …

Each year during the Architecture Month, the American Institute of Architects Iowa Chapter celebrates the role the public plays in architecture by allowing the public to reward the designs they love by voting in the annual People’s Choice Award. …

Architecture firms that made the commitment to the 2030 challenge were asked to create a Sustainability Action Plan within six months of joining the program. The process, which includes reevaluating priorities, workflows, and strategies, can seem like a …

OPN is honored to receive the Masonry Institute of Iowa Appreciation Award for the soon-to-be complete Johnston City Hall. At the core of a the Johnston Town Center Development, the new city hall is community anchor surrounded by public …

Collegiate student internships are a valuable experience throughout architectural and design education. They offer an opportunity to experience company culture, get your toes wet in design and documentation of real projects, and gain a better understanding of where …

All OPN employees consistently pursue excellence. We see this commitment to each other, our practice, and our clients reflected in these 10 team members who didn’t let a pandemic slow them down and were promoted earlier this year: …

Polk County Criminal Courts and Madison Fire Station No. 14 have been honored by the American Institute of Architects Academy of Architecture for Justice with a Justice Facilities Review Award. These projects demonstrate quality of form, functionality, and current architectural …

Jamie Hurd Amphitheater in West Des Moines, was honored with an Excellence in Concrete Award in the Commercial/Industrial Decorative category on Dec. 2, 2020 at the virtual Iowa Better Concrete Conference. The Excellence in Concrete Awards recognize outstanding …

Madison Fire Station 14 has been honored with an  Award of Excellence in Innovative Design, New Construction by the USGBC West North Central Region’s 2020 Community Leadership Award program. Fire Station 14, completed in the last few days of …

The new location for Madison Public Library’s Pinney Library branch has achieved LEED Gold certification. Guided by sustainable design principles and with LEED certification in mind,  the library’s Gold certification was based in large part to its energy …