VIDEO: HOK CEO Eli Hoisington on Designing the Future of St. Louis

Date Posted: May 28, 2026

Posted In: Discussion, Organizations, People, What we are thinking about,

A lively and wide-ranging Forum discussion, “Forward: Designing for a Better Future,” was held Thursday morning (May 28th) at the downtown headquarters of HOK.

The Forum’s interview with Co-CEO Eli Hoisington focused on what it means to design for a changing city — and how major projects actually move from idea to execution.

The conversation explored the future of St. Louis, the design and planning of the region’s new airport terminal, lessons HOK has learned working in cities around the world, and the growing influence of technology and data centers on architecture and infrastructure planning.

Questions also centered on how cities compete for talent and investment, the balance between civic ambition and economic realities, and what successful urban environments have in common. Hoisington discussed the importance of long-term thinking, collaboration across sectors, and creating places that people genuinely want to inhabit and invest in.

The program continued the Construction Forum’s effort to move beyond broad talking points and into practical, experience-based conversations about the future of the built environment.