Laura Peterson

Sr. Associate, Architect, Educational Planner
  Studio
Tel: 515.657.4730
Contact Laura

I bring my passion and strength for building relationships by listening and advocating for my clients. As an educational planner, I rely on my project skill sets to partner with students, educators and administrators to reimagine a space. By listening to their needs, understanding their educational delivery goals, and analyzing physical space potentials, I find creative solutions rooted in each community and specific to each District I serve. Extending conversations to include parents and community leaders always help our team to affirm project support and consensus.
Credentials
  • American Institute of Architects (AIA)
  • Accredited Learning Environment Planner (ALEP)
Expertise
Giving Back
  • Waukee APEX Mentor
  • Indianola Preschool Board
Interests
  • Coffee, coffee, and more coffee
  • Green Bay Packers and Iowa State Cyclones
  • Baking
  • Charcuterie
  • Kid Sport Cheerleader
Fun Fact
  • I’m actively working on my baking skills in hopes of some day becoming a contestant on The Great British Bake Off.
Project Portfolio
Dilley Building
Des Moines, IA
Seeking new office space in Downtown Des Moines, Beal Derkenne Construction and Christensen Development wanted to bring together their appreciation for the area’s architectural heritage with their interest in clean, modern …
Waukee Innovation & Learning Center
Waukee, IA
Sometimes several classrooms or maybe a wing of a school are dedicated to professional skill-building and work-based learning; the Waukee Innovation Learning Center (WILC) took this to a new level. To design a pace-setting …
Drake University Shivers Basketball Practice Facility
Des Moines, IA
The first project from previous master planning efforts with Drake University, the 38,000sf Basketball Practice Facility was designed to provide this previously lacking function and give a strong visual identity to the campus’ …
Warren Cultural Center
Greenfield, IA
The Warren Opera House went from being the center of Greenfield public life in the 1890s to a disused relic by the 1980s. After the building was gifted to Main Street Greenfield, it spurred the foundation of the E.E. Warren …
Hotel Fort Des Moines
Des Moines, IA
Hawkeye Hotels sought INVISION’s expertise to renovate the historic Hotel Fort Des Moines into a full-service Curio Collection by Hilton boutique hotel. The original hotel, which opened to the public in 1919 as the largest …
Cedar Falls High School
Cedar Falls, IA
After evaluating a potential high school renovation, the Cedar Falls Community School District determined a new 1,400 student replacement high school adjacent to the University of Northern Iowa would best suit the community’s …
Insights Portfolio
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Which meeting method is better? Face-to-face or virtual?
Placemaking in Waukee with Kinship Brewing Company
There’s no other way to put it — moving stinks
Building Community Support for School Bond Referendums
New Senior Associates announced at INVISION
A restored iconic building and, ultimately, a community destination