Berges Family Girl Scouts Program Center, Maryland Heights, Mo.
Retrofit Team
Design: Oculus Inc., St. Louis
Lisa Bell-Reim
Hannah Rohlfing
Joanne Fields
Christy Johnson
Rob Forney
General Contractor: McGrath and Associates Inc., St. Louis
Materials
The following materials were used in the project:
Cabinets: Wilsonart
Cafeteria Furniture: SitOnIt Seating
Carpet: Interface
Ceilings: Armstrong Ceiling & Wall Solutions
Ceramic Tile: Crossville and Daltile
Classroom Furniture: Safco
Flooring: Johnsonite
Lighting and Accessories: Focal Point
Lounge Furniture: Knoll
Multipurpose-areas Furniture: National Public Seating
Office Furniture: Borgo
Paint/Wallcoverings: Sherwin-Williams
The Retrofit
Adjacent to the Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri’s headquarters, the new Berges Family Girl Scouts Program Center is housed in what once was a vacant office. The space now features learning areas, including a science lab, robotics lab, an open learning kitchen, and group/teaming spaces. The expansion invites rural, suburban, and urban girls of all ages and skill levels to interact; take on leadership roles; and participate in premier activities and events, including many delivered through partnerships with businesses and community organizations.
Vibrant pops of color, a seating Keva, suspended round light fixtures, acoustical ceiling “clouds” and a glass feature wall are highlights of the 6,000-square-foot space. Oculus’ design team came up with various solutions to keep the project within budget, such as utilizing existing partitions and doors, negotiating discount pricing on finishes and fixtures on behalf of the client, maximizing design impact with paint, working closely with the general contractor for value-engineering concepts, and discussing possibilities of shared restroom counts with code officials.
The center, which has been fully booked since its completion in April 2016, has been awarded the 2018 St. Louis at Home’s Architect & Design Awards—Commercial Space Finalist from St. Louis magazine and 2017 American School and University Outstanding Design award: Community Use from American School and University magazine.
Before Photo: Oculus Inc.
After Photos: Alise O’Brien Photography