C-Wise Design and Consulting LLC

07/14/2026

The Des Moines Fire Station 4 has officially achieved LEED Gold certification! The City of Des Moines continues to demonstrate their commitment to climate action with impactful green buildings.

Some of the building’s most impressive features include:
🔥 Projected annual energy cost savings of 40%
🔥 Onsite geothermal wellfield helps the building operate on 99.8% electricity
🔥 Emphasis on firefighter wellbeing through strategic daylighting, firetruck exhaust removal, and thermal and lighting comfort
🔥 Innovation credit achieved for resilience planning

All of the green building features will help create a building that serves the environment while prioritizing the firefighters’ well-being as they work, train, and rest in the new station. Thank you to all the teams that contributed!

Owner – City of Des Moines; Architect – Substance; MEP – Design Engineers; GC – Ryan Companies; Civil – LT Leon & Associates; Cx – SystemWorks; Structural – Raker Rhodes; Specialty Design Consultant – WSKF Architects; Landscape – Genus; Energy Modeling – Catalyst Partners
Photo credit: Chris Boeke Studio

07/03/2026

Biophilia anyone? Keep tabs on this project. It's seeking LEED Platinum, Living Building Challenge and Sites Platinum certification.

06/09/2026

The new RSFIC backyard and event space is officially open! They launched the space last week with a community party and announced some very exciting initiatives they’ll be taking on around Iowa City to further their mission of resilience and sustainability.

It’s always great to see designs come to life, and the RSFIC backyard was particularly special since their mission aligns so well with the work we believe in at C-Wise. It was a privilege to help them envision their space and I look forward to seeing how it grows with them and all of their great work.

05/21/2026

Climate Change and Environmental Health Map from Iowa Environmental Council

Too often, the environmental issues most pressing to our local communities can feel hard to quantify, track, or comprehend. But understanding how factors like pollution, natural hazards, and historic underinvestment impact an area are critical for building site selection and long-term resiliency.

Iowa Environmental Council has a great tool for mapping these climate and health considerations. Site and resiliency analysis are an important first step in any building project, especially as the effects of climate change continue to grow.

Leading the way to create a safe, healthy environment and sustainable future for Iowa.

05/18/2026

It was great to be in Denver last week at the USGBC ADAPT conference to celebrate green building and be honored as a local leader. It was invigorating to talk green building with like-minded folks. Sustainability was integrated into the entire experience, from the valuable workshops all the way down to the biophilic design of the hotel!

04/30/2026

The new Des Moines Fire Station 4 hosted a fantastic tour last week with ASHRAE and USGBC! It was great to see tangible examples of how the LEED design strategies were improving quality of life for the firefighters while delivering an impressive 40% energy costs savings in a 98.5% electric building.