Oklahoma National Guard Wellness Center Takes Home a 2026 National Design-Build Merit Award
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
Southwest Region Project Earns 2026 National Design-Build Merit Award
DBIA has announced the 2026 National Design-Build Project/Team Award Merit Winners, and the Oklahoma National Guard Wellness Center in Oklahoma City is on the list — one of 32 projects recognized nationally across 10 categories, and one of four honored in the Federal/County/State/Municipal category.
Merit Award recipients are selected by a jury of design-build professionals, and this year's slate spans a wide range of markets, project types and approaches to design-build delivery.
Oklahoma National Guard Wellness Center – A New Model for Serving the People Who Serve
Photo Credits: Tom Watkins; Caleb Thomas; April Jackson-Rook & Team
The Oklahoma Military Department saw a gap in how wellness resources reached Oklahoma National Guard Soldiers and Airmen. Physical training, behavioral health, spiritual resilience, sleep, and nutrition services were scattered across multiple facilities, which made access and coordination harder than it needed to be.
The Wellness Center brings it all together in one purpose-built facility organized around the military's Holistic Health and Fitness (H2F) initiative. Guardsmen and their families now have a single place that houses fitness areas, counseling rooms, a chapel, a meditation garden, restorative spaces, and educational environments.
The Owner asked for more than a functional building. They wanted a space that felt welcoming to service members and their families and could adapt as needs change. The team answered with natural daylight, biophilic design elements, enhanced indoor air quality, and circadian-supportive lighting, plus tunable lighting and personal thermal comfort controls that give occupants a real say over their own environment.
Why Design-Build Delivered Here
Design-build let this team weigh occupant well-being and long-term operational performance at the same time, rather than in sequence. Performance modeling, lifecycle assessments, and early trade partner input shaped decisions on lighting, ventilation, materials, maintainability, and energy use.
The team also invested in its own capability. DBIA certification training was built into the project approach, and more than 30 DBIA Certified Design-Build Professionals ultimately contributed to the work.
The results show up in the numbers. The facility uses approximately 40.5% less energy than baseline, 40.87% less indoor water, and 81% less outdoor water, conserving nearly 875,000 gallons annually. Those measures are expected to lower operating costs while supporting a durable, adaptable building.
The project was delivered for $22,923,634 over a 20-month construction duration.
The Design-Build Team
Client/Owner: Oklahoma Army National Guard
Owner Advisors: Benham; Jones Design Studio; Unger Security Solutions
Design-Builders: Flintco, LLC; Larson Design Group (LDG)
General Contractor: Flintco, LLC
Architects: Larson Design Group; Verdacity
Engineers: TLC Engineering Solutions; KFC Engineering; MacArthur Associated Consultants
Specialty Contractors: Oakridge Builders; Dane Electric; Firetrol Protection Systems; Orcutt Mechanical Contractors; GreenShade Trees, LLC
What's Next
Merit Award winners will be recognized at DBIA's 2026 Design-Build Conference & Expo in Cleveland. National Awards of Excellence, "Best of" distinctions, special Owner awards, the Chair's Award, and Project of the Year will be announced during the annual awards ceremony on Thursday, Nov. 5, at 7:00 p.m. ET.
Congratulations to the entire team. This is what happens when a group of people commits to Design-Build Done Right®!
Read the full project profile on DBIA's website: https://dbia.org/project/oklahoma-national-guard-wellness-center/
See all 32 Merit Award winners: https://dbia.org/project-team-awards/2026-design-build-project-team-award-winners/
