LifeSource Headquarters

THE PROJECT

Project Highlights

45,000 SF office and clinical spaces for Lifesource, a nonprofit organization specializing in organ, eye and tissue donation
One-story wing provisioned for future growth
Structural steel with concrete slab over metal deck
Large roof cantilever at entryway

LifeSource Headquarters, located along the banks of the Mississippi River, provides a permanent gathering space for the regional nonprofit organization that manages organ and tissue transplants. The 45,000-square-foot headquarters building serves not only as office space for the organization’s 145 employees, but also contains clinical spaces, including a morgue and recovery rooms for tissue and organ donors. There are also conference spaces, an indoor receiving/loading dock, and a large indoor mechanical and electrical space. The two-wing, V-shaped building features a large, cantilevered entryway and a unique wavy entrance wall symbolizing the adjacent river. The headquarters, with its simple yet strong form and views of the river and memorial garden, is intended as a place of reflection and gathering for both recipients and donors’ families during a difficult time.

OUR IMPACT

UNIQUE FRAMING

at the 53-degree angle intersection

CANTILEVERED

roof at 3 edges

SAVING LIVES

through organ donation

Service Provided

Structural engineering

OUR SOLUTIONS

The building’s primary structural system is structural steel with concrete slab over metal deck. MBJ designed the framing to minimize vibration above the tissue and organ recovery rooms for hanging medical equipment and lights. To address the poor soil conditions, our team worked closely with the geotechnical engineer to arrive at a steel pipe pile foundation system as well as a structural slab at grade.

MBJ collaborated with the architect to design the one-story wing to accommodate a possible future vertical expansion. The one-story and two-story arm of the building meet at a 53-degree angle which required unique framing at their intersection and also incorporated a two-story entryway. The two-story space extends from the entryway and lies adjacent to the curtainwall. In order to achieve the architect’s vision for roof cantilevers at three sides of the building, including a significant cantilever over the main entrance, MBJ worked together to design steel framing that minimized deflections yet achieved the desired architectural aesthetic at minimal depth.

Among the project’s sustainable design features is a green roof and terrace overlooking the memorial garden.