2026 Buildings and systems awards

The 2026 ACEC/Iowa Engineering Excellence Awards winning projects in the Transportation Category:
Building and Systems Grand Place Award (1st Place in Category)

Firm: Klingner & Associates, PC
Client/Owner: Southeastern Community College
Project: SCC FEMA Safe Room

Southeastern Community College (SCC) faced several challenges when planning a new campus facility: providing protection from increasingly severe weather, creating much-needed multipurpose space, and making the most of limited capital funding. Located in Tornado Zone IV—the highest wind-risk zone in the United States—the college needed a safer, more permanent solution than relying on interior rooms scattered throughout campus.

Working with Klingner, SCC developed a solution that addressed all three needs in one cohesive design. Now known as the Rev. Dr. William Amos “Booker” Smith Sr. Activity Hall (Booker Hall), the facility serves as both a state-of-the-art FEMA safe room and a versatile activities and events commons.

Designed to meet stringent FEMA P-361 guidelines, Booker Hall provides near-absolute protection from an EF5 tornado and winds up to 250 mph. A powerful backup generator keeps critical lighting, ventilation, and electrical receptacles operating for two hours following a severe weather event, helping the facility remain safe and functional when it is needed most.

Beyond emergency protection, Booker Hall provides flexible space for wrestling practice, meetings, campus organizations, events, and other activities. Rather than creating a bunker-like shelter, the design integrates an attractive, accessible gathering space into the heart of campus.

The facility also extends its benefits beyond SCC. Its proximity to the Des Moines County Fairgrounds makes it a valuable gathering space for fair programming, while public access during severe weather provides an important refuge for the surrounding community.

By blending safety, functionality, accessibility, and thoughtful use of FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant funding, Klingner and SCC transformed a critical campus need into a welcoming hub of activity—one that serves the college and surrounding community every day while standing ready to protect lives when severe weather strikes.

Return to main Awards page 

Go to Transportation Category | Go to Water & Wastewater Category

Go to Special Projects Category | Go to Energy Production Category