Marion Fire Station No. 1 Recognized with 2026 COTE Award

Design Engineers is proud to celebrate the recognition of Marion Fire Station No. 1, designed by OPN Architects, as a recipient of the 2026 AIA Committee on the Environment (COTE) Top Ten Award.

Announced in June at the AIA Conference on Architecture & Design 2026 in San Diego, the AIA Committee on the Environment (COTE) Top Ten Awards recognize ten exemplary projects each year that successfully integrate design excellence with high performance across ten key areas, demonstrating how architecture can advance the health and well-being of both communities and the environment.

The Marion Fire Station No. 1 project marks a significant achievement for Iowa design and construction, becoming one of only five projects in the state—and the first fire station in the program’s 30-year history—to receive a COTE Top Ten Award. It is also the second project on which Design Engineers has served as building systems consultant to support a COTE Top Ten Award, following the Stanley Center for Peace and Security’s recognition in 2025.

Located in Marion, Iowa, the 21,200-square-foot fire station serves the growing northern neighborhoods of Marion while establishing a new benchmark for firefighter health, wellness, and community connection. The all-electric facility incorporates biophilic design principles, abundant daylight, green roof systems, circadian lighting, and carefully planned decontamination zones that help reduce firefighters’ exposure to carcinogens. The design was projected to achieve a 68.3% reduction in annual energy cost compared to the ASHRAE 90.1-2016 baseline while supporting the City of Marion’s long-term resiliency goals.

As the MEPT partners on the project, Design Engineers focused on integrating the building systems with the overall architectural design and vision for the space.

“From a mechanical perspective, the geothermal HVAC system was a major contributor to the project’s sustainability goals and energy performance,” notes Associate Principal and Lead Mechanical Engineer Blake Anderson. “Equally important was integrating the mechanical systems to support the project’s overall vision for firefighter wellness through strategies such as contamination-control ventilation.”

Lead Electrical Engineer Brad DeSerano adds, “Integrating daylighting with circadian rhythm-based lighting, escalating alarm sequences, and resilient backup power systems all helped advance the project’s biophilic design goals while supporting firefighter wellness and the facility’s long-term resiliency.”

Together, these integrated MEPT strategies helped create a sustainable, resilient facility that supports the project’s broader vision. Achieving that level of performance required close coordination between the mechanical, electrical, plumbing, technology, and architectural teams throughout the design process.

The station has already earned significant national and regional recognition, winning more than a dozen awards including a 2024 AIA Architecture Award, a 2023 AIA Justice Facilities Review Award, and a 2023 AIA Iowa Impact Award. The project will also be recognized at the upcoming 2026 AIA Iowa Annual Convention in Des Moines on September 24.

Design Engineers is honored to have contributed to a project that demonstrates how public safety facilities can support firefighter health and wellness, strengthen community connections, and advance environmental stewardship through high-performance design.

Photos by Cameron Campbell.