Missouri Foundation for Health Headquarters

Missouri Foundation for Health works with communities and nonprofits to generate positive changes in health. HOK designed the Foundation’s new LEED-certified headquarters in the Forest Park Southeast neighborhood of St. Louis, one of the many communities it serves, to support its mission of building a more equitable future.

The project included renovating an abandoned industrial building and two residential flats into a unified campus that supports wellness, inclusivity and resilience.

The renovated industrial building serves as the Foundation’s new modern workplace. Workstations, private offices, phone rooms and focus rooms support heads-down work. Huddle rooms, conference spaces and open lounges encourage collaboration. A prefunction space with divisible walls provides flexibility for different-sized meetings and events.

All of the existing brick masonry and structural steel was retained. The lobby, interior walls and furnishings feature reclaimed wood from the original industrial building. Large windows with fritted glazing bring in daylight while saving energy.

HOK’s design transformed the residential flats into an employee amenity facility with a fitness center and library. Community groups and other nonprofits aligned with the Foundation’s mission can sublease office space.

A central courtyard with native landscaping connects the three buildings and provides a central gathering place. New rain gardens and permeable paving for overflow event parking increase green space while decreasing stormwater runoff. The design preserved one of the city’s largest pin oak trees, which is surrounded by permeable paving in the parking lot.

A partially collapsed residential flat on the campus’s northwest corner had been deemed unfit for restoration. HOK collaborated with the Foundation and St. Louis Cultural Resources Office to re-create that original flat. Using 17 unique, hand-formed brick shapes and 3D scanning technology, the design team ensured that the brickwork on the new structure’s main facade matched that of the former building.