STLCC Advanced Manufacturing Center

The 96,000-square-foot Advanced Manufacturing Center at STLCC-Florissant Valley combines short-term career training and degree and certificate programs in STEM and advanced manufacturing. Students receive hands-on training in state-of-the-art labs, preparing them for careers in manufacturing, engineering, technology, and technical trades.

Before completion, the Advanced Manufacturing Center site was an underused parking lot for the College. This campus area now provides an entry plaza, two accessible roof terraces, and over 5,000 sf of vegetated green roofs. The entry plaza offers seating opportunities and collaboration with an arrangement of custom precast benches as well as places for individual study before or after classes. The entry plaza was designed to be flexible, allowing events and other school activities to have a home on campus. The two roof terraces provide outdoor classrooms for students with the same custom precast benches and landscape to complement the entry plaza. Several classroom and laboratory spaces will benefit from the natural beauty and seasonality of the native landscape of the green roofs outside of their windows. The green roofs are also functional, as they reduce the below-ground infrastructure needed to support a more sustainable approach to stormwater management.

The landscape palette primarily comprises a native, low-maintenance planting matrix that provides seasonal interest. Over 15 different native species of trees have been added to the campus, along with existing mature trees.

Hudson Elementary Playground

DG2 Design collaborated with Hudson Elementary, part of the Webster School District, to create a comprehensive playground Master Plan. Together, they successfully secured a municipal park grant and constructed a wheelchair-accessible, universally designed playground. This new play area replaces the outdated and inaccessible equipment with vibrant, inclusive features designed for children of all abilities.

Highlights include at-grade and elevated play elements, sign language panels, disc swings, a large multi-person spinner, and a variety of new swings. These are installed on a mix of resilient poured-in-place safety surfaces and engineered wood fiber for accessibility. A concrete seat wall borders one side of the playground, offering comfortable seating for rest and observation.

The design encourages imagination, physical challenges, and unstructured play, creating an engaging and welcoming space for all children.

Client Feedback: “All the kids, even the bigger ones, love playing on it, which is nice!” – Lisa Hilpert, Principal, Hudson Elementary.

M1 Bank Clayton Headquarters

A Jewel in a Garden: Revitalizing a Mid-Century Gem

This iconic mid-century building, originally a bank constructed in the 1960s, has undergone a transformative redesign to blend timeless charm with modern sophistication. While preserving the original structure, a sleek glass façade now envelopes the building, offering a contemporary aesthetic that enhances the vibrancy of downtown Clayton while honoring its historic roots.

The design scope includes a comprehensive renovation of the three-story building, an expansion of the below-grade parking garage, façade enhancements, and extensive site improvements. Central to the vision is the concept of creating “a jewel in a garden.” The reclaimed ground plane features a dynamic brick paver plaza and a perimeter brick patio wall, seamlessly integrating the site with the adjacent Office Center and Event Space. Together, these elements set the stage for a cohesive three-building campus at this bustling corner.

The building’s stature is elevated by extending the curtain wall to the roofline, creating a striking architectural presence. Paired with thoughtfully designed formal landscaping, the site invites interaction and fosters a sense of place, ensuring this mid-century treasure shines in its renewed role within the urban fabric.

Missouri History Museum North Plaza

The Missouri History Museum’s recent building enhancements have earned it recognition as a Green Museum, dedicated to raising awareness about our planet’s finite resources and the impact of human actions.

DG2 Design collaborated with the project team to transform the north plaza into an accessible, welcoming space for visitors of all ages and abilities.

The redesign thoughtfully integrates elements of Missouri’s native landscape, providing seasonal interest throughout the year and guiding visitors visually and physically toward the museum entrance. A key feature of the project is the reconstruction of the monumental stairway, which preserves original design elements while accommodating the museum’s growing visitor base and diverse usage needs. By removing the stairs near the fountain and avoiding the need for a large ramp, we improved accessibility and maintained the historic character of the plaza. Additionally, the lawn was regraded to offer expanded gathering areas for events like the Twilight Tuesday Concerts.

This project reflects our commitment to fostering sustainability and inclusion, reinforcing the museum’s role as a community-centered institution.

Project Team: Tao + Lee Associates, H2Lighting, BSI
Photo Credit: STL From Above  and  Tao + Lee Associates

4 Hands and Peacemaker: A New Culinary Destination in Kirkwood

4 Hands and Peacemaker, one of the most-anticipated restaurants of the year, opened in downtown Kirkwood. This unique partnership between 4 Hands Brewing Co. and Peacemaker Lobster & Crab has transformed the space previously occupied by Down by The Station, a boutique gift shop near the Kirkwood train station.

The restaurant, three years in the making, offers a “transportive” dining experience envisioned by partners Lemp and Nashan. The 2,500-square-foot interior is complemented by a covered patio with 9-foot tall accordion glass doors, an uncovered patio, and a green space referred to as the “back yard.” This outdoor area provides a safe space for kids to play while adults dine nearby.

DG2 Design, landscape architects, collaborated closely with the building architect, Eddy Design Group and civil engineer, Castle to ensure a seamless transition between the building and the landscaped patios. Guests are greeted with a park-like setting featuring native plants, landscape boulders, and trees, creating a harmonious blend of indoor and outdoor spaces.

The outdoor space includes ADA-compliant restrooms, ensuring comfort and convenience for all guests. An additional patio area adjacent to a red caboose is set to be adorned with string lights and sail shades, adding to the charm.

Early visitors have praised the spacious, beautifully landscaped environment, making 4 Hands and Peacemaker a standout addition to the Kirkwood dining scene.

Meramec State Park Playgrounds

Atlas Public Schools Playground

St. Louis, MO

DG2 Design was tasked with designing a playground for Atlas Elementary, a new school in downtown St. Louis, as part of their commitment to preparing students for a lifetime of exploration. Atlas Public Schools aims to educate the whole child through rigorous academics and real-world experiences. The playground is designed to encourage imagination, physical challenges, and free play.

Unlike traditional playground concepts, the playground features Berliner spatial nets, which stimulate cognitive processes in children and encourage decision-making in a playful way. The design balances safety with opportunities for children to push their boundaries and learn through play.

Located under the cover of a previously covered parking lot, the playground offers various play options, including two DNA Towers with climbing features and a slide, a Tri climbing tower with a tube slide, and a three-dimensional chess board, all on an accessible artificial turf surface.

This playground, along with the renovation project to adaptively reuse a previously vacant building, will meet the evolving needs of the school as it grows over the next five years. The growth strategy includes adding a new grade each year until the school reaches 600 students in kindergarten through fifth grade.

Mitchell Park Master Plan

Kirkwood, MO

DG2 Design worked with the City of Kirkwood to update the Mitchell Park master plan.  Following the St. Louis County Municipal Parks Grant requirements and based on the community outreach efforts and stakeholder input, DG2 developed the following key goals and objectives for Mitchell Park improvements.

ADA Compliance: Proposed improvements and amenities will be designed to meet ADA requirements, ensuring equal access to recreational activities for all park users.

Park Drainage: Addressing drainage issues is a primary concern that must be resolved in coordination with other park improvements. Sculpting the natural grade and installing rain gardens will help redirect water flow away from active areas, preventing waterlogging.

Preserving Park Character: Community members express a strong desire to maintain the park’s overall character, including its central open lawn, lush canopy, and intimate atmosphere. A balance between active and passive engagement opportunities will be maintained.

Enhancing Play Opportunities: Parents and children want more opportunities for both formal and informal play. Integrating swings and landscape elements for climbing and skipping into the park design will cater to these desires. Additionally, a small-footprint mist element will be added to provide a fun way to cool off on warm days.

Landscape Improvements & Tree Canopy Preservation: Plantings that attract pollinators, showcase seasonality, and offer educational opportunities will be integrated into the park’s landscape design. A careful assessment of tree health will be conducted to ensure the long-term vitality of the park’s tree canopy. Declining trees will be replaced, while healthy ones will be preserved.

Preserving Central Open Space: The central open lawn, a popular area among park visitors, will be preserved and enhanced through improvements to grading and drainage, resulting in a more usable space throughout the year.

By addressing these goals and objectives, Mitchell Park will be transformed into a more inclusive, sustainable, and enjoyable recreational space for the community to enjoy.

4210 Duncan – Cortex Innovation Community

St. Louis, MO

The design of the nine-story, 316,000-sq.-ft office and lab building at 4210 Duncan was inspired by the site’s legacy
as a former metal manufacturer. It features a linear, metal facade and will become the largest building on the Cortex
campus upon completion. The flexible floor plan is designed to accommodate various space configurations and is techand
lab-ready. A hospitality lobby connects to the new Cortex Gateway Plaza, offering outdoor restaurant terraces,
event spaces, and work areas.

The building will be constructed on a surface parking lot, with significant street-level changes planned, including the
removal of a large concrete wall that kept the site level. Retail spaces will be included to enhance the district’s
development into a true neighborhood over time. All four sides of the building engage with the streetscape
and pedestrian level, activating the Cortex Community experience. An interior plaza will provide circulation as
well as spaces for art, games, movies, and socializing. The building’s design will be striking and visible from Interstate
64, Forest Park Avenue, and Vandeventer, making it the tallest in the neighborhood. Additionally, 4210 Duncan will
be close to Sarah Street, which is undergoing significant changes to improve the streetscape and pedestrian
connection to the Grove.

Old Post Office Plaza

St. Louis, MO

As the landscape architect, Kristy assisted Baird Sampson Neuert Architects (BSN) of Toronto with the award-winning design and preparation of landscape architecture design and drawings for the Old Post Office Plaza in downtown St. Louis. The Plaza, which sits immediately north of the recently renovated Old Post Office, is home to a famous sculpture representing the mythical character of Icarus.

The overall design intent of the plaza is to create a multi-functional downtown urban park. It can accommodate relaxation, lunch crowds, outdoor movies, and art enthusiasts. In assisting BSN, Kristy used landscape solutions and sustainability strategies to interpret the “Journey of Icarus” to complement the master plan vision. In doing so, low maintenance planting solutions were developed that matched the vision desired by the owners of the city block, the Downtown St. Louis Partnership.

The Old Post Office Plaza is located on a brownfield site created by urban demolition and framed on three sides by public streets lined with heritage buildings. While intended to feature the most important, the Old Post Office, the creation of the Plaza, in combination with adaptive reuse and restoration of the nineteenth-century landmark, also serves as an urban catalyst for revitalization and re-inhabitation of the historic city core.

One of the key elements in the success of the urban opera was the harmony between design disciplines. In addition to the composition of the planting palette that portrays the visual and tactile qualities of key settings in our story, the landscape architect served as the eyes and ears of an international team of designers. Keeping a constant open dialogue and a stream of updates and photography, the design team could interact with each other, and the site, as the structures and plantings were fine-tuned. Ongoing tuning has been required as the space and its impact on the urban fabric continue to evolve.

2010 Toronto Design Exchange, Urban Design,

Silver Award 2010 American Society of Landscape Architects,

Honor Award, St. Louis Chapter 2009

Midwest Construction’s Small Project of the Year
*Completed prior to establishing DG2