ARTICLES

The latest articles from Origin Design.

FEATURED ARTICLE Finding Purpose Through People: A Career Journey at Origin Design 9 Reasons to Contact an Architect Lead Service Lines: What Your Community Should Know Origin’s 5 Steps for Building Design Storm Shelters: For Severe Weather & More 3D Scanning: A Safe and Effective Solution Designing in Real Time The Importance of Trails NOW Cross Bracing: Why It’s Important Concrete & Block Wall Damage due to Vehicular Collisions Concrete Floor & Roof Slab Deterioration Steel Building Framing Corrosion: Know the Causes, Find Solutions Heavy Roof Load Due To Snow Drifts The Importance of Geotechnical Investigations Making Your Community’s Drinking Water Safe Are your Building Columns in Jeopardy So You Have GIS Data, Now What Preserving our Waterways for the Future Blending Municipal Facilities into Residential Areas Optimism Leads to Streetscape Success Is your Storm Shelter really a Storm Shelter? What is GIS, and how can it help me? The 3D Technology Turning Point Land Surveying Drones—Safe, Accurate, Timely Why Preserve Buildings? Natural Disasters Reach Iowa

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Join us in congratulating Mark Fassbinder, the 2025 Waugh Award winner! This award, named for our co-founder Dennis Waugh, recognizes employees who truly embody what Origin Design stands for. Way to go, Mark!

Read more about Mark’s recognition: https://origindesign.com/newsroom/fassbinder-accepts-waugh-award

These smiles represent just a few of the 63 reasons we celebrate Origin Day. Every person plays a part in the story of Origin Design—today, we’re celebrating them and enjoying Founder’s Day cookies by Nick Rettenberger.


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Today our offices are closed as we celebrate the day we were founded—February 1, 1982!

We’re proud to take a moment to reflect on our journey and to thank our incredible staff and clients who have helped us grow and thrive over the years. We couldn’t have built something so lasting without you!

#origindesign

We’re still buzzing from last week’s Chamber Business After Hours!

Thank you to everyone who came, connected, shared ideas, and tested out the VR simulator. We enjoyed hosting you!

At Origin Design, we believe every project teaches us something valuable. That’s why we hold an annual “Lessons Learned” discussion!

Virtually bringing together our Dubuque, Davenport, and remote employees, this open forum is all about sharing experiences, both wins and challenges, so our team can grow together. By learning from each other, we can improve processes and move forward smarter and stronger. Here are just a few of the 41 employees that were able to attend this valuable conversation.

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What a cool weekend in Downtown Davenport!

Our Davenport office team had a blast at Icestravaganza, enjoying amazing ice sculptures, live carving, fun activities, and warming up with a little hot cocoa.

We’re proud to be a sponsor of this annual winter event and love seeing our community come together to enjoy it!

Origin Design is excited to welcome two new talented professionals to our IT team: Cameron Steffens (IT Infrastructure & Systems Specialist), and Adam Waggoner (IT Support Specialist). We look forward to the contributions they will make, shaping the future of Origin Design.

Welcome to the #origincrew!

Join us in welcoming Austin Pettlon to Origin Design! Austin recently joined our Architectural Team as a Revit Designer. We can’t wait to see the amazing impact he’ll make in this position!

Welcome to the #origincrew, Austin!

Cheers to 5 years! We’re proud to celebrate Mat Townsley and all his incredible contributions over the years. Here’s to many more!

We’re thrilled to welcome Luke Althaus back to Origin Design! Luke previously interned with us, and after graduating in December, he’s now a full-time member of our Structural Engineering Team. We can't wait to see all that he will achieve in this role.

Welcome to the #origincrew, Luke!

As we welcome 2026, we’re grateful for the amazing people who make our team shine—and for the trust you place in us. Here’s to another year of working together and creating something great!

We’ll be closed January 1 to celebrate New Year’s Day!

Thank you for being part of our journey this year! Your trust and support mean the world to us. From all of us at Origin Design, Happy Holidays!

We’ll be closed December 24–26 to celebrate the season.

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