Not long after INVISION opened its Waterloo office in 1945, the firm began to make a big impact on the growing Waterloo and Cedar Falls communities. The landscape is now scattered with the work of INVISION, standing tall and proud not only in structure, but also in significance …

After opening a second office in the Waterloo area in 1945, Oz Thorson initiated the major growth and INVISION’s impact on the community ever since. Leveraging his father’s great reputation and applying his own expertise and “stupid luck,” as he so humbly called it, Oz expanded the long-time …

Even in the 1930’s INVISION leveraged innovative ideas. Our founder, Thorwald Thorson, created a new concrete construction system using modular, interlocking, movable and reusable wooden forms that allowed for more structural opportunities. The 1940’s Ventura High School Auditorium and Gymnasium showcased the firm’s refined used of this system. …

Much like the design process doesn’t start with a drawing, stakeholder and user engagement does not start at a kick-off meeting.

Each year, our staff teams up and participates in several summer events. One team of runners recently competed in the annual Market to Market relay. The team of 8 runners covered 75 miles in just over 10 hours. Next up, INVISION staff get together for the Golden Circle …

Congratulations to the Cedar Valley SportsPlex team for being awarded the 2015 Honor Award for “Unified Design Elements” in the IIDA Great Plains Chapter IDEA competition. This was the inaugural year for the “honor” award. Jury members’ comments about the project included “clean, simplistic, unified design, great use …

When Thorwald Thorson created the first design of his new practice for a local church in 1914, he started something big. In the 1920s and 1930s, Thorwald scattered the Midwest with his mastery of church design, working in Iowa, South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota and Nebraska. It was …

Oswald (Oz) Thorson came to the firm in 1945, joining his father and INVISION’S founder, Thorwald Thorson. He attended Waldorf College and then went on to study architecture at the University of Minnesota. After graduating and serving in the Army, Oz returned home in 1945 to expand his …

As we move forward in 2015, we are reflecting on great work our team has recently completed and projects still in progress. A significant focus for us has been process. Higher accountability, rising costs and market dynamics all leave less margin for waste and error. For unlocking design solutions and innovation, …

INVISION has grown out of the practice of one man, Thorwald Thorson. His family moved from Norway, settling on a farm outside of Forest City, Iowa where he became the first person in his neighborhood to attend high school. He went on to teach and took courses in …