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About Us
As architects, designers, planners and consultants, we partner with our clients on some 3,000 projects every year. These projects can be as small as a wine label or as large as a new urban district. With 2,000+ professionals networked across more than 30 locations, we serve our clients as trusted advisors, combining localized expertise with global perspective wherever new opportunities arise. Our work reflects an enduring commitment to sustainability and the belief that design is one of the most powerful strategic tools for securing lasting competitive advantage.
Download Gensler's Fact Sheet (pdf) for more information regarding the the services we provide, markets we support, our locations and our leadership.
Download "Design Update: The Ritz-Carlton and JW Marriott at L.A. LIVE" (pdf) to learn how L.A.'s sports-entertainment district gets its landmark.
The 26-gate North Terminal Redevelopment project considers the needs of travelers by streamlining security and providing amenities for business and leisure passengers. The terminal accommodates passenger flows with convenient and ample security checkpoints; common-use gates and ticket counters; intuitive wayfinding; and optimized baggage handling and screening systems. Flexibility to accommodate a wide range of aircraft at each gate gives the terminal the capability to adjust to changing operations without costly terminal renovation in the future. The terminal also accommodates four international arrival gates with a new Customs and Border Protection facility.
With its curved rooflines, JetBlue Airways' first terminal responds to its unique location near Eero Saarinen's historic TWA terminal. From a functional standpoint, Gensler designed Terminal 5 to complement JetBlue's business model. The 640,000-gross-square-foot, 26-gate terminal provides exceptional customer service, with a tailored plan for circulation and seating in the concourse. The ticketing lobby and holdrooms are sized as transitory spaces, while concessions areas are larger as JetBlue customers tend to buy food and drink before boarding. Wider space between gates allows JetBlue's Airbus 320s to easily turn around, minimizing delays.
To initiate a $1.3 billion airport modernization program, Gensler composed a master plan encompassing a new Terminal B and Concourse, major upgrades of existing terminal space, new parking facilities and an improved roadway system. Having conducted numerous studies with community groups to understand traveler dynamics, Gensler, in collaboration with Steinberg Architects, also created the master designs for the Terminal B and Concourse components, establishing a vision for the airport as iconic gateway to the city of San Jose and Silicon Valley. The 1,600-foot-long, LEED-NC® v. 2.1 Silver-rated building exploits advanced design methods and building materials to project an appearance that embodies the region's innovative and environmentally-conscious spirit.
Although Terminal 2 is relatively new, Singapore Changi Airport decided to renovate the terminal to maintain a competitive edge in the airport market. Gensler and local architect of record, RSP Architects, Inc., recreated the terminal to have a unique sense of place that respects local context. The entry canopy, for example, employs the metaphor of bamboo: thin steel members and glass offer natural light and views while protecting passengers from Singapore's significant rainfall. Within, spaces are light-filled and landscaped with native plants.
Gensler partnered with Fidelity Investments in the prototype design and national rollout of its more than 100 Investor Centers. To provide an enhanced customer experience and embody Fidelity's brand in a three-dimensional space, Gensler developed a comprehensive design solution that integrates architecture, technology, graphics and fixturing in a branded retail environment. Gensler also developed extensive guidelines for printed collateral that are consistent with the look and feel of the branch environment.
The American Red Cross of Greater New York is the organization's largest U.S. chapter, serving more than nine million people. As the Red Cross celebrated its centennial, it renovated a former laundry building on the West Side with the goal of accommodating two types of work: daily work and disaster response. Gensler worked with the Red Cross to create flexible areas that function daily as teaming and amenity spaces and can be easily adapted to operate as fully functioning emergency response centers.
Dedicated to the understanding and protection of the world's rivers and estuaries, the Beacon Institute is certified as a LEED® Platinum center for science and education. "Building One," the first phase of the multi-phase project, functions as a living laboratory for testing and implementing transformational sustainability strategies. The facility also supports exhibitions about the center, global research and remote learning. An existing 4,000-square-foot, 19th-century masonry structure has been re-used and expanded to house the institute's programs.
Chicago's lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community now has a home in the Center on Halsted. Designed by Gensler as a visible symbol of LGBT pride, this environmentally sustainable civic place invigorates its North Side neighborhood. Seventy-five percent of the total façade is clear glass, exposing the vibrant inner workings of the Center and enlivening the streetscape. Certified LEED® Silver, the Center includes an entertainment venue, a grocery store, café, technology center, gymnasium, theater, public roof garden, offices for community service partners and other unique gathering spaces.
The new LEED® Gold Department of Homeland Security facility in Omaha balances security with the comfort and well-being of its users. Gensler embedded security equipment in the building's millwork, permitting a glass façade and more open appearance. Light shelves and skylights further maximize the daylight introduced by the façade. The one-story building wraps around a central, secure open-air courtyard, bringing light to the inner workspaces and providing a private outdoor break area for employees.
United Way envisioned its new facility as a place that would facilitate its mission to "improve lives by mobilizing the caring power of communities." Gensler's design incorporates spaces to accommodate campaign volunteers, loaned executives, and community outreach, as well as training rooms and flexible community meeting rooms. The building's open plan and abundant glass provide volunteers and staff with wonderful views of the outdoors, each other, and campaign activities, reinforcing the ideas of team work, collaboration and community.
Columbia College’s campus is a unique blend of 23 industrial and mercantile buildings threaded together by surrounding city streets. All of Gensler’s more than 125 projects here have addressed the college’s goals to strengthen its physical connections with Chicago’s downtown and to create a greater sense of identity. Projects have involved strategic renovations of classrooms, workspaces and common areas using basic materials and effective details — such as assigning each building its own bold color to improve identity and wayfinding, recasting building corridors as gallery-like settings displaying student work, and adding playful lighting and furnishings to encourage gathering and interaction.
With the opportunity to build a campus from the ground up, Lone Star College-CyFair leaders aimed to craft a new model for collaborative learning and community partnership. The new campus accommodates 10,000 students on a 207-acre site and facilitates an interdisciplinary learning approach on a sustainably designed campus. Lone Star College-CyFair is now a focal point for its community, realizing its vision to create a dynamic learning environment that fosters strong community partnerships.
This K-8 private school for inner city children has brought sustainability to the heart of Newark. Gensler converted an existing industrial building into a learning environment that itself is a pedagogical tool. A building addition incorporates a new core, gymnasium and roof garden. The gymnasium will support a strong program in physical education, and the roof garden will be a living laboratory for teaching ecology and science. Other sustainable features include gray water reclamation, photovoltaic panels, daylighting and healthy, recycled materials.
Built on a previously underused part of the campus, the new, 127,000-square-foot D’Angelo Center provides a much-needed gathering place for students, expands academic facilities and serves as beacon for the campus and surrounding community. The center’s massing and use of fieldstone, brick and glass cladding relate it architecturally to other important buildings on the campus. A 144-foot tower features a golden torch inspired by the Statue of Liberty. The double-height student lounge serves as the campus’ living room, with high arched windows creating an upbeat, sunlit space. The building also accommodates classrooms, student services, offices, a cafeteria and a recreation center.
The restored and expanded AFI Silver Theatre transports an audience of 400 to the glamour and excitement of the Golden Age of motion pictures. To restore the 1930s theater, Gensler unearthed photos and news clippings covering its original grand opening and salvaged scraps of fabric from the original wall coverings and carpets to recreate the theater's rich color palette. AFI Silver Theatre now has two additional theaters, exhibit spaces, a café and offices. The theater has renewed the surrounding community and reactivated Silver Spring's historic center.
Club Nokia at L.A. LIVE is a 2,000-seat music hall with a contemporary, dynamic design created to become “part of the show.” Located in downtown Los Angeles, the music hall occupies the three upper floors in a five-story, mixed-use building. In addition to a dance floor, accommodating 1,400 people, and fixed mezzanine seating for 600 people, the venue includes a V.I.P area that connects an exclusive lounge to a seating booth overlooking the performance stage.
The new House of Blues on the Atlantic City boardwalk hearkens back to the city's 1930s and '40s heyday, when it was known as the "world's favorite playground." Gensler renovated the 118,000-square-foot interior and boardwalk facade of the existing Showboat Casino in Streamline Moderne, a popular architectural style of the time. The project consists of a 2,000-person music hall, a "members only" room, a restaurant and nightclub, a poker room and a re-branded gaming area in the existing casino.
This super-tall, 632-meter tower will be sited in the heart of Shanghai’s Lujiazui Finance and Trade Zone, adjacent the Jin Mao Tower and Shanghai World Financial Center. As the skyline's most prominent icon, the tower’s transparent, spiral form will showcase cutting-edge sustainable strategies and public spaces that set new standards for green community. Within 121 stories, Shanghai Tower will house Class-A office space, entertainment venues, retail, a conference center, a luxury hotel and cultural amenity spaces. The tower will be registered for a high level of building certification from the China Green Building Committee and the U.S. Green Building Council.
Follow Shanghai Tower's construction progress at the GenslerOn blog.
With its frame-like form, 2000 Avenue of the Stars pays homage to the iconic Century Plaza Towers while maintaining a strong identity on the Los Angeles skyline. Gensler redesigned the existing 30-year-old facility to provide a mix of uses and meet modern standards of energy efficiency. The complex contains 750,000 square feet of office space as well as retail, restaurant, cultural amenities and subterranean parking. Thanks to Gensler's sustainable approach, the project is one of the most energy efficient buildings in the city.
DCCI: Second Deira Building complements the existing Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) headquarters and will be an exemplary focal point for business in the city and the wider region. The new complex will be a striking new addition to the Dubai Creek skyline; the geometric arrangement of the tower creates a harmonious and dynamic composition of old and new with a strong architectural identity. The design of the new extension will reinforce the DCCI brand, and give it a clear advantage in an increasingly competitive environment.
The Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) headquarters is a gateway to a new financial district in Dubai. The Gate is a global center for leading financial businesses designed to embody the DIFC's vales of integrity, transparency and simplicity. The building is an iconic element of the master plan, which called for a promenade ending in a triumphal arch, modeled after Champs Elysees and Arc de Triomphe. Sitting on an axis with the Emirates Towers and the World Trade Centre, the building frames these two Dubai landmarks.
Located on the west side of downtown Wilmington, Gensler's design for Gateway Plaza responds elegantly and responsibly to its urban context. The thin, crystalline building will direct views toward downtown and create a welcoming gateway to the central business district from nearby I-95. In spite of a highly constrained site, the building form will offer large-span flexible floor plates with abundant access to daylight. Gateway Plaza will include office and retail spaces as well as a public parking garage.
The European headquarters of furniture designer and manufacturer Herman Miller combines office and showroom space to explore new ways of working in a sustainable facility. Called the VillageGreen, the 20,000-square-foot, pavilion-style building sensitively complements its leafy surroundings, while reinforcing the brand for staff and visiting clients. In addition to providing a light-filled workplace, the open-plan facility incorporates sustainable materials in a dynamic "customer experience journey" that promotes Herman Miller's products and ethos of environmental stewardship. For its achievements, the headquarters has obtained BREEAM Excellent and LEED® Gold ratings.
Rather than build a new headquarters on a suburban site, HNI Gunlocke found value in an existing building in downtown Muscatine. This choice not only revitalized the aging city, but the company itself. Once scattered throughout Muscatine, HNI is now consolidated in an open, environmentally responsible building. Gensler helped strengthen the HNI community by lowering workstation heights and removing portions of the floors to create sight lines throughout the building. The renovation opens the façade to main street and the river.
Located at the intersection of the major commercial and cultural corridors of Fifth and Liberty Avenues, Three PNC Plaza aims to reinvigorate the heart of downtown Pittsburgh from the ground to the sky. This landmark tower respects its urban context through a highly transparent base that engages and energizes the streetscape. The overall design speaks to the mixed-use nature of the building's program, which includes the 180-key Fairmont Pittsburgh hotel, 30 residential units, and 360,000 square feet of office and retail at the street level. The building is expected to attain LEED® certification.
Located in Pudong, near Century Park and the Shanghai Exhibition Center, the UC Tower represents prime commercial real estate in Shanghai. At 100 meters tall and with 59,000 square meters of office space, this 25-story Grade "A" building responds to the growing demand for high-end commercial lease space in Pudong's Zhuyuang District. The landmark tower has already won a regional award for office building design from the Committee for Contemporary Architecture, Planning and Design.
Beijing Hotel represents a convergence of Chinese architectural philosophy and international standards of hospitality. Located at the heart of the city, the hotel guides its guests from the lively, retail-focused streetscape to serene private spaces through a series of three courtyards. Each is a simple shape: a circle, a square and a rectangle. The courtyards' shapes, symmetry, and orientation, borrow from traditional Beijing architecture and planning principles.
Partnering with Hirsh Bedner, Gensler revitalized this 1955 flagship hotel, the iconic home of the Golden Globe Awards, to help a new owner attract luxury business travelers and local glitterati. Gensler's brand strategy enabled the hotel owner to define its client profiles and identify features suiting their stylish tastes. Inspired by the Golden Age of Hollywood, the renovation brought rich materials and finishes to 570 guest rooms and major public spaces. Additionally, Gensler's brand design team's revived and refreshed the original '50s identity through the property's exterior and interior signage.
The Hilton Financial District once discouraged visitors with its imposing, contextually detached concrete aesthetic. Gensler's design helped to reposition the hotel from a well-worn tourist destination to a 3 1/2-star business class hotel. The entrance, now with a luminous glass canopy, glows warmly at night, guiding visitors to the Asian-inspired lobby. A pedestrian bridge, connecting the hotel to the western Financial District and Chinatown, serves as the entrance roof. Gensler clad the underside of the bridge in aluminum to provide a continuous welcoming experience from the outside in.
Lush landscaped gardens juxtaposed against a traditional stone façade form the inviting character of this sophisticated two-million-square-foot, five-star hotel. The hotel comprises 124 executive-serviced apartments and 323 branded apartments. The Gensler-designed hotel and apartment buildings are linked by a full-height atrium. A sunken garden is the focal point for two restaurants and bars. In the entrance plaza, a waterfall and several shaded terraces create an inviting ambiance. Amenities include a health suite and spa, pool, tennis court and sun decks.
The new Nickelodeon Resorts by Marriott hotel pioneers the world's latest school of architecture known as "Kid Modern." With clean lines and vibrant colors, this playful yet highly sophisticated architectural language appeals to kids and their parents alike. The hotel will face the stunning San Diego Harbor and a new public boat channel and promenade. This 650-key, 1.2-million-square-foot hotel will be visible from the nearby airport and will punctuate the San Diego skyline with its 80-foot-high "slime tower," the focal point of an adjacent water park.
Gensler designed this 54-story tower as the visual anchor for the larger six-block sports and entertainment district known as L.A. LIVE. Comprising two distinct hotel brands, an 878-key JW Marriott hotel and a 123-key Ritz-Carlton boutique hotel, the tower's top 25 floors house Ritz-branded condominium residences. Located adjacent the STAPLES Center, the vertical icon contributes to the dynamism and sophistication of this revitalized commercial district. The sustainably designed tower earned LEED® Silver certification.
Located on 48 acres of Potomac River waterfront south of Washington, D.C., Gaylord National® is the centerpiece of a groundbreaking regional mixed-use development that raises the bar for leisure and business travel options near the U.S. capital. The four-star, 2,000-key hotel and 825,000-square-foot convention center count among the region's largest hospitality properties. Housed under a dramatic 17-story, glass-arch atrium are lush gardens, waterscapes and guest amenities including restaurants, bars, retail and a Canyon Ranch spa. A large outdoor amphitheater and marina offer additional diversions, as well as a water taxi service to downtown D.C.
The first mission critical facility to achieve LEED® certification, this data center serves as the cornerstone of Fannie Mae's technology operations. Located on a 31-acre greenfield site, the 247,000-square-foot facility includes rack space, infrastructure support, a trading floor, call center, command center with direct visual access to the open data floor, disaster recovery area, offices and amenity spaces for employees. Designed to integrate within the surrounding residential community, the data center has realized a total of $1.7 million in energy savings, a 35 percent cost reduction, in its first five years of operation.
Technical highlights:
—Biometric and state-of-the-art security systems
—Tier IV fully redundant facility
In a triumphant return to lower Manhattan, NYBOT resumed trading two years after its space was destroyed on September 11th. Gensler designed the state-of-the-art, 30-000-square-foot facility to support open outcry commodities trading. The space accommodates 410 trading booths, featuring integrated flat-screen monitors, multiple handset telephones and handheld terminals. Customized trading booth furniture systems fit traders' needs.
Technical highlights:
—Booths size increased 30 percent
—Raised floor conceals ducts supplying fresh air, and cables and wiring for 10,000 electrical outlets
—900+ flat-screen monitors surround 13 trading pits
This client teamed with Gensler to design a facility that is more than just a technology box. Nestled into landscaped earthen berms, the 56,000-square-foot data center creates a park environment for an often fortress-like building type. The thoughtful design will obscure the size and location of the building, enhancing the work environment of the surrounding campus. Visible architecture will be limited to the entrance lobby and office space that enjoy natural daylight and other sustainable design features. A LEED®-NC rating is being pursued for this project.
Technical highlights:
—Tier III data center with N+1 redundancy
—Modular sizing of mechanical and electrical systems support incremental growth
To create two mirrored data centers within 20 miles of one another in Delaware, this financial services client challenged Gensler to design a set of twin 240,000-square-foot, Tier IV, 2N facilities. One primary, the second data center offered a redundant backup for critical electronic data. The first location is a greenfield site adjacent to a historic farm. In contrast, the second site, a brownfield, is located in a light-industrial area just beyond the city limits. The design challenge for the team was to develop a secure, fault-tolerant building with redundant systems that accommodate the significant differences between sites.
21st Century Tower is a mixed-use, 50-story building in the Pudong district of Shanghai, a dynamic international business center. The first 21 floors will be Class-A office space, followed by an 11-floor Four Seasons Hotel, and 12 floors of condominiums managed by the Four Seasons. The office lobby and residential entrance will be at base of the tower, with the hotel's reception and amenities areas located in the adjacent podium. The project is located on Century Avenue, the main East-West Pudong thoroughfare.
Steps away from the Huang Pu River and directly across from the Green Belt promenade of the former shipyards, this mixed-use project connects nature to the city. A prestigious office tower and premium hotel and residences tower stand as a gateway to the retail arcade, welcoming visitors into the project and the park. The project maintains view corridors to the river and green space, and features outdoor walkways that weave throughout the site. Zhong'Ou luxuriously integrates the elements of live, work and play.
Located in the heart of Chicago's Loop, Block 37 is planned to feature signature retail, entertainment and dining offerings; a future state-of-the-art transit station providing service to and from Chicago's O'Hare and Midway airports; and eventual accommodations for a residential and/or hotel tower(s). Gensler's design for the downtown destination location is characterized by transparent and reflective materials that engage and enhance the streetscape of the surrounding business, theater and civic districts.
BM Plaza is located near the main railway station in the central area of the Zhabei District of Shanghai. This 183,900-square-meter, mixed-use development will include office space, a hotel, and retail. The project's design includes three towers shaped by the nature of the program: a landmark office tower, a mid-height hotel tower, and a lower tower that serves as the office tower. Retail and conference center facilities are located within the two-story base that links the towers together.
Located on the historic Chang'An Road in Beijing's Old City, this mixed-use project includes 188,485 square meters of office space, apartments and retail. Chang'An Center's focal point is a full-height archway sheltered beneath a sky-lit roof, creating an inviting public gateway into its office buildings and central courtyard. The use of a traditional courtyard plan is in keeping with Beijing's historic urban fabric and is an important amenity for the Center's international business clientele and the surrounding community.
Currently a neglected block of Market Street, CityPlace will transform this economically depressed and underutilized area into a lively, safe and shopper-friendly neighborhood. This urban project will showcase five levels of retail, totaling 230,000 square feet. The façade combines layers of clear and translucent glass with mirror patterning that will capture fragmented images of the street life while giving a peek into the development's interior activities. The exposed inner workings of the building are aimed at helping restore and revitalize the streetscape.
Gensler is designing a new residential and office tower in the prestigious Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC). The sculptural 50-story glass and metal panel tower will include 10 floors of office space, and 320 luxury apartments on the upper 40 floors, all of which will enjoy dramatic views of the Persian Gulf. An adjacent parking structure will accommodate 1,500 cars. A complete fitness center will be located on top of the garage with an Olympic swimming pool, handball courts and a full basketball court.
Wan Chuan International Center is a mixed-use complex consisting of 91,000 square meters of retail, service and office components. The retail podium serves as the backbone to the project by forming a strong curved axis oriented toward the river. The curved roof terrace above the retail area provides an unparalleled setting and modern luxurious lifestyle with 24-hour activity. A transparency of volumes blurs the distinction between interior and exterior spaces. Pedestrians and shoppers can enjoy the amenities in a natural setting while being sheltered from the harsh exterior elements.
Gensler served as Executive Architect for CityCenter, the largest private development in the United States. With 18 million square feet of building footprint on 76 acres of land, CityCenter provides a sophisticated, cosmopolitan hub on The Strip, distinguished by world-class design and sustainable urbanity. The world's largest LEED® development, the complex contains six LEED Gold-certified properties (one CS and five NC ratings). Gensler represented the owner's interests in the leadership and coordination of all aspects of design, programming, construction documentation, construction administration, common area design, and above- and below-grade infrastructure.
Influenced by its close proximity to Burj Dubai, the world's tallest tower, Tower 38 will form part of a streetscape neighboring both the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) and Business Bay master plans. Gensler designed this 60-floor residential development in a Modern Islamic aesthetic. The tower is composed of a series of interlocking pieces that step back as the building rises, appearing to ascend toward the Burj Dubai Tower.
As the spiritual destination of Muslims worldwide, Makkah is transforming major areas of the city to accommodate unprecedented numbers of pilgrims. Gensler is planning the redevelopment of Darb Al-Khalil, the historic southern approach to Makkah, creating residences, hotels and amenities for pilgrims. The plan is guided by the sanctity of Al-Haram, the mosque surrounding the Kaabah. Three separate south-north "spines" coexist to ease pedestrian movement from Darb Al-Khalil to Al-Haram and visually connect the development to Makkah's sacred center.
The world’s newest international financial center, DIFC aims to create an environment for progress and economic development in the United Arab Emirates and across the region. A unique mixed-use complex comprising office space, serviced apartments, hotels, shops and restaurants, DIFC promises to enrich the civic experience, attracting visitors with a museum, art gallery and performing arts center. A temperature-controlled environment will enable people to walk from one part of the city complex to another in constant comfort. Gensler is responsible for the entire two-million-square-meter master plan and a number of its flagship buildings.
For the 130-hectare Shamiyah district, Gensler prepared a master plan that would improve the urban qualities of Makkah, renowned destination of Muslim pilgrims worldwide. The Shamiyah master plan proposes a major new gateway corridor that will connect the city's northern neighborhoods directly to the Grand Mosque (Haram). The plan proposes to accommodate hundreds of thousands of people, redevelop a deteriorated sector of the city, and effectively guide approaching pilgrims toward the Haram during their visits to Makkah.
Located on the south edge of the Huangpu River on the north end of Pudong's Lujiazui district, the planned 60-hectare Shanghai Shipyard development will have clear views of both the Jin Mao Tower and the Pearl Tower. With 450,000 square meters currently in the plan for construction of residential, commercial, and entertainment space, Shanghai Shipyard links the modern Lujiazui district with an historic area of low-rise housing and industrial manufacturing. The river serves as a distinctive landmark of economic, cultural, and geographic significance.
Realizing its need to grow, while preserving its historic core, St. Petersburg is reclaiming 450 hectares of prime waterfront at the western end of Vasilievsky Island. Gensler has created a plan that offers not only a new financial center for the city, but makes the Island a comfortable place to work and live year-round. To mitigate subzero temperatures, Gensler's plan includes a below-grade circulation level that facilitates movement between buildings and provides Metro access. In addition to parks, many of the buildings feature roof gardens to take advantage of the summer months. The plan calls for compact, walkable, transit-served neighborhoods.
The Wuxi Bin Lake master plan envisions a landmark development on Wuxi's lakefront, reflecting the city's continued growth and evolution. The scheme capitalizes on the significant investment in road infrastructure to provide a balanced mix of both public and private uses on this strategically located site. The master plan concept divides the site into three main uses: a civic district on the lake that takes maximum advantage of the views across the city; residential districts; and a mixed-use center.
Clifford Chance, the world's largest law firm, had a vision to provide state-of-the-art facilities and work-life balance in its new 1-million-square-foot headquarters at Canary Wharf. Gensler designed efficient and flexible offices that enjoy natural light and stunning views from the glass office tower. For amenities the tower offers staff a health club; a restaurant for up to 450 people; an auditorium; a well being center; and client meeting facilities. Additionally, there is a hospitality lounge incorporating a bar, library, showers and private meeting rooms.
Designed by Gensler in collaboration with Barneys and a cadre of fine artists, the Dallas flagship elevates the mall retail experience to the level of art gallery exhibition. In contrast to the luxe retailer's customary upscale urban settings, the new Barneys establishes an arresting presence at high-end NorthPark Center mall. Employing mixed-media murals and hanging sculptures in a blended expression of art and architecture, the iconic store communicates culture-conscious sophistication for discriminating shoppers. Inside, major interior elements conjoin to set a sumptuous stage for merchandise, while celebrating the luxury and refined taste synonymous with Barneys' brand.
Pat Lobb Toyota is the first LEED® Silver dealership in the United States and a model for other eco-friendly automotive-related facilities. The dealership features a rain harvesting system; energy efficient building systems; regionally sourced materials; a green "living" wall; eco-friendly interior finishes; an innovative carwash water recycling system; and used car oil recycling/heating.
Data center requirements often consign design to a box — typically a concrete, windowless one. Rather than conform to conventional constraints, Gensler employed them to spark design innovation, enabling the client to set the standard for environmentally sustainable data centers. Daylighting, sun shades and operable windows contribute to a high-quality, energy-efficient workplace, where computer and power system heat is recovered to condition office spaces. Outside the building, berms and low stone-walled bioswales, part of a native landscaping scheme, provide an unobtrusive alternative to crash-rated security railings. The combined site, energy, water and workplace strategies earned the facility LEED®-Gold certification.
ADP handles employee-related functions, brokerage and financial services, vehicle dealer services and claims processing. These functions require extensive processing, recordkeeping and up-to-date technologies. To support ADP, Gensler provided architectural design services for two mirrored Tier IV data center facilities. The 2N uninterrupted power source (UPS) and chilled-water cooling design with N+1 generator plant data centers encompass 185,000 gross square feet. Both data centers provide 40,000 square feet of raised-floor area and 40 watts per square foot, expandable to 60,000 square feet and 60 watts per square foot.
When a tornado hit in 2006, One Indiana Square incurred significant damage to its exterior. The project challenges Gensler to re-skin the tower, converting its exterior into a modern, glass façade, while maintaining the building's current 70 percent occupancy and minimizing tenant disruption. These goals will be accomplished through the use of Building Information Modeling (BIM) combined with an innovative solution that involves welding new out-riggers of steel to the columns, creating a slab that allows re-skinning to occur from the exterior.
This Gensler-designed call center enables the client to be an employer of choice, while providing superior service to more than 700 independent insurers. Set against expansive Rocky Mountains views, the 324,000-square-foot campus nearly doubles the company's former capacity. The call center centralizes conference rooms, break areas and support stations to maximize the open-floor area, effectively minimizing the distance and "time out of seats" for employee amenity access.
Technical highlights:
—Engineering systems provide reliable building functions on a 24-hour basis
—Raised-access flooring with under-floor air distribution allows power and HVAC system reconfiguration
Recreational Equipment, Inc.'s new prototype store serves as a working laboratory for analyzing the performance of green building features and retail concepts. A renovation and expansion of the company's existing Boulder location, the 42,000-square-foot store is certified LEED® Gold. Exterior architecture and interior design elements draw inspiration from nature, while furthering REI's commitment to providing a gateway to the outdoors and reducing its environmental footprint. The store, which incorporates an elevated community center as its focal point, is a pilot project in the LEED for Retail program.
The flagship development for real estate investment company Tameer Holdings is the focal point of the new Shams master plan in Abu Dhabi. Expected to complete in 2011, the five-building complex features a 73-story, diamond-shaped commercial tower, four residential towers, a seven-star luxury hotel, retail, dining, parking and a private marina. The centerpiece of this nine-million-square-foot development is the commercial tower, which is characterized by a signature split near its base that will straddle the canal and pedestrian area that connect the Central Park and the sea. Complemented by the four residential towers' varying heights, the commercial tower will reach 980 feet high and cut a striking figure on the skyline.
Consisting of two 160,000-square-foot, five-story office buildings, the pharmaceutical client's "sister" properties sit adjacent one other across a curvilinear, tree-lined courtyard. The design concept reflects a new era of organizational "knowledge and innovation," representing these values by balancing innovation with function. Workplace and amenity floors promote efficient planning, flexibility and occupant comfort with a rectilinear, floor-plate centered around an expansive and daylight-filled, five-story atrium. The exterior is inspired by understatement and simplicity with great attention paid to the quality of details and materials. The buildings are expected to achieve LEED® certification.
Gensler provided concept design, design development and rollout for this one-stop children’s store where kids can learn, shop and play. The design reinvents shopping for the entire family, reflecting various stages of a child’s development and incorporating an array of entertainment options including a play park, arcade, juice bar and sandbox. Central to the interactive experience is a 40-foot-tall sea serpent that reinforces the role playing theme encouraged throughout the store. Children’s areas are considered from a child’s perspective and scaled accordingly. Key amenities include a boutique nail salon, hairdressers, café and party rooms.
In developing new designs in the Middle East for freestanding cafés and a larger food-hall store concept, Gensler worked with M.H. Alshaya Co., a Dean & DeLuca franchisee, to leverage the gourmet food purveyor’s existing brand attributes — clean, modern, neo-industrial — and mesh them with concepts observed in analogous venues throughout Europe. The new design infuses the customer experience with an even greater level of quality and entertainment. Gensler also refreshed the company’s logo type and visual identity system and created brand guidelines to ensure the consistent application of the updated designs across retail environments, packaging, and print and Web communications.
This 12,000-square-foot retail prototype is conceived as a gathering space where customers’ experience goes far beyond shopping. Gensler worked with the client to develop the brand concept — including the name and identity — as well as the design concept, geared toward shoppers aged 18 to 28 with sophisticated fashion sensibility. The space juxtaposes rigorously detailed natural materials, organic patterns and shapes. Graphic elements, including an iconic starburst motif, are repeated throughout the space using various materials and treatments to reinforce the brand. Also incorporated is a full-service salon and centrally located café.
This store is the second of two prototype stores for outdoor retailer Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI) that tests new retail design and green building concepts. Employing a design drawn from nature, the two-story, 32,700-square-foot space creates a sense of community and reflects the company’s leadership in environmental design. Design elements echo a wide range of sources: earthen strata, thick forest canopies and a towering pinnacle among others. Green building techniques and materials include aggressive daylight harvesting, reclaimed wood, recycled tennis shoes and sunflower seed husks. New signage and wayfinding systems provide clear navigation throughout the store.
This retrofit converted an already successful megaplex theater into a high-end cinema more in character with the transformation of the Sherman Oaks Galleria in which it is housed. Museum-quality finishes blend natural woods and stained concrete with the dramatic use of curtain elements. All 16 auditoriums reflect ArcLight’s state-of-the-art standards for sight, sound and projection systems. New amenities include a full-service café/bar, gift shop, coffee bar and a reservations-only “black box” seating area free of distractions. Several exhibit spaces accommodate a variety of displays ranging from flat art to costumes and props.
Designed in the early 1960s, the Cinerama Dome represented the avant-garde in entertainment architecture for that period. The expanded Cinerama Dome Entertainment Center defers to the character and geometric purity of the existing Dome, striving to preserve its integrity while providing cutting-edge facilities and experiences. New buildings are pulled away from and arranged around the Dome, providing a foreground to the historic structure. The result is a synergistic complex that has helped to revitalize Hollywood and extend the Cinerama Dome’s legacy as an entertainment icon.
Located in the Victory Park development — a 90-acre master planned urban town center in the heart of Dallas — the House of Blues draws music aficionados from near and far. The 50,000-square-foot venue includes a full performance stage, a 300-seat full-service restaurant, and a 400-person special events and outdoor venue featuring stunning views of the Dallas skyline. A members-only Foundation Room, a trademark of the House of Blues brand, offers a fireside lounge, elegant dining and private entertainment venue.
A phonetic translation of an old Kuwaiti word for children’s role playing, Baroue’s core identity expands on this idea with the “O” of Baroue becoming a series character faces. Additional role-playing characters employed in printed applications create a whimsical, kid-friendly brand system that extends to private-label merchandise. Translating parent company MS Retail KSC’s vision to design strategy, Gensler developed the Baroue brand to comprise Baby Baroue, Baroue Kids, Baroue Toys, Baroue Maternity and Club b.me for teenagers. The core brand identity program links individual brand offerings, while subtly differentiating the different stages of a child’s development.
This LEED®-Silver certified branch bank incorporates a host of sustainable systems, including green roofs, wind turbines, solar for electricity and water, and geothermal heating and cooling. A signature roof element not only adds dramatic visual interest, it enables daylighting and water collection for irrigation. The modern design aesthetic distinguishes the bank’s presence in the community, while raising awareness of the value of sustainable design.
On a site with views to the White House and Washington Monument, owner PNC, developer Vornado and Gensler faced a challenge: designing a building memorable in its own right while respecting the surrounding monumental context. Through a charrette process that called on talent drawn from around the world, the resulting design establishes new benchmarks for the site and for sustainable and architectural design in a city known more for tradition than innovation. When complete, PNC Place will be one of Washington, D.C.’s first LEED® Platinum buildings.
This sleek, 244,000-square-foot speculative office building doubles as a roadside attraction and flexibly customizable work environment. Its 480-foot-long north elevation cants outward at the upper east end, inferring movement and acknowledging its site along West Los Angeles’ Interstate 405 and within view of Los Angeles International Airport’s flight path. Inside, the building features a double-height lobby and dual-core plan. Sunshades incorporated into the undulating curtain wall and ribbon windows controlling sunlight represent two features that aim to earn the property a LEED®-CS Silver rating.
This global financial firm relocated to a Western-style office park outside the central city to a Gensler-designed, four-story classic modern office building that introduces a vernacular architecture in modern form. Adhering to a strict planning module that provides flexibility for the firm’s constantly changing needs, the building incorporates open workspaces and offices for 920 in two distinct blocks linked by a spacious atrium. The design is enhanced by ample natural lighting and luxurious and environmentally conscious materials not previously specified in Egypt; the building will be registering for LEED® Gold certification, becoming the country’s first green building.
Houston’s first downtown LEED® Platinum office building, Hess Tower is a truly 21st century facility. Originally designed as a speculative office building, the tower is the only building of its generation in Houston to be 100-percent leased prior to its completion. And, its design was credited as a major factor in its recent record sale price. Adjacent to a 12-acre urban park, the 871,000-square-foot office building offers highly efficient floor plates, a green roof on the entry pavilion, sustainable water strategies, a high-performance curtain wall and the option for rooftop wind harvesting.
A global leader in building efficiency and power solutions, Johnson Controls charged Gensler with transforming its 1960s office complex into a high-performance campus showcasing the Fortune 100 company’s innovative sustainable technologies. Gensler’s work on the campus included a master plan, historic preservation of a conference center, renovation of two buildings, and design of two new building additions. Throughout the campus, increased collaborative space, new focus rooms to support concentration, and individual control of employee work environments are strategies intended to make employees’ time at the office more comfortable, enjoyable and productive. Now complete, Johnson Controls' campus showcases the highest concentration of LEED® Platinum buildings in the world.
Situated east of Red Rock Canyon with views of the surrounding mountain range to the west and the Las Vegas strip to the east, this new four-story building houses the 135,000 square-foot corporate headquarters for Station Casinos. Sited on two acres adjacent to a proposed premier hotel and casino, the building maximizes views and serves as a beacon within the new community — communicating Station Casino’s identity as an established, yet forward-thinking company.
A massive, abandoned manufacturing plant presented the perfect opportunity to create an indoor sports facility housing a family-oriented health club and a separate complex for inline hockey and indoor soccer. Taking advantage of the building’s scale — nearly five acres on a single floor — Gensler designed distinct identities for the two uses. The hockey/soccer complex incorporates vibrant colors and bold graphics, appealing to its youthful clientele; whereas the health club uses a more sophisticated palette of materials, finishes and detailing. Large billboard graphics break up the vast exterior façade and add visual interest.
Situated at the base of the Eagle Express Ski Lift (Chair 15), the facility will provide world-class skier services and day lodge facilities including ski rental and repair, food and beverage services, specialty retail and more than 100 units in an exclusive condo-hotel. The design expresses an “iconic” verticality that echoes the spirit of the mountains combined with architecturally modulated facades defined by changes in the rhythmic pattern of window openings, canopies, balconies, pilasters, arcades and articulated varied roof forms. The building heights vary accordingly to break and balance the overall composition.
Goals for this expansion project included: extending exhibition space below Lower Wacker Drive and creating a destination riverfront plaza; improving and increasing sustainability of the hotel’s energy, water and waste management systems; and improving connections to the river and surrounding urban environs. Sustainable features, such as the interactive curtain wall along the riverfront, include daylight harvesting to help light the lower-level conference space, and alternative methods of heating and cooling. A master plan for the south bank of the Chicago River will reactivate the city’s once-strong connection to the river. The project is seeking LEED® Platinum certification.
In a designated scenic zone and environmental preservation district on a small island near Okinawa, this new hotel is geared to vacationers seeking to escape the urban life. Amenities include a spa, upscale retail and restaurants. To harmonize with the environment, minimize impact and reduce the building’s apparent mass, a starfish-like plan emanates from a central lobby. A low profile is maintained, and the building is sited to provide views to the dramatic sunsets over the East China Sea from nearly three-quarters of the rooms. Rooms feature clean lines, natural materials and contemporary furnishings.
Gensler is providing architectural and interior design for Phase 2 of this 304-acre community — a vibrant new sustainable development that capitalizes on what has historically made Austin progressive while being mindful of the city’s burgeoning growth and evolving urban lifestyle. Phase 2 includes 180,000 square feet of office space, 750,000 square feet of retail, Austin’s first “aloft” hotel, 488 residential units and a richly landscaped nine-acre community park and pavilion. Driven by the concept of living and working in a single location, The Domain incorporates a wide and progressive mix of experiences and amenities and is being designed to LEED® Silver certification.
Situated among mature shade trees and lush landscaping at the base of the San Bernadino Mountains, Guasti Vineyard is a planned community that will retain and expand the character of the historic Guasti winery and town. The project will comprise 100,000 square feet of retail and dining space, 400,000 square feet of offices, 400 residential units, and more than 500 rooms in three new boutique hotels. Existing historical stone winery buildings and a central villa will be preserved and integrated into this rustic Inland Empire oasis, maintaining the Tuscan charm and elegance with which the turn-of-the-century town was originally founded.
Reflecting a new paradigm for Korean commerce, this 150,000-square-meter headquarters is home to four major TV studios, live radio broadcast studios, live-performance spaces, corporate offices, and production and post-production facilities. A 4,000-square-meter plaza, anchoring and connecting the project, is surrounded by retail and restaurants on the first two levels. Radio studios and the entry to the Multi-Purpose Hall are also on the ground floor, with 24-hour spaces such as news stations, production facilities and special-effects studios occupying the floors above. The project’s grand scale and mix of activities result in a vibrant media city.
To enhance Neiman Marcus’ presence as an anchor of the Shops at La Cantera, Gensler created a flagship shopping experience with sleek modernity uncommon in department store design. The edgy, asymmetrical forms in concrete, steel and glass read differently from every angle and project the store’s new image as an ultra-luxury destination.
Across the 610 freeway from the Galleria, Gensler and developer Oliver McMillan are creating the premier luxury retail environment in Houston. More than 200,000 square feet of luxury and boutique retail space will line shade-covered streets in the River Oaks District, evoking the character and elegance of Rodeo Drive. A grand dining terrace will feature numerous bistro, quick-serve and café destinations beneath a flowing canopy, creating an inviting and protected outdoor dining experience. Above street level, four new towers—containing hotels, condos, apartments and office space—serve as both anchors and landmarks.
As the set for 1980s films such as “Fast Times at Ridgemont High,” the Sherman Oaks Galleria is a true pop culture icon, but as a retail destination, the mall had languished. Gensler’s challenge was to demolish and rebuild 90 percent of the outdated mall while retaining the aesthetic character of the classic American shopping center. The revitalized Galleria now houses upscale retail boutiques, a movie theater, a multitude of fine dining restaurants, a fitness club and one million square feet of office space. Open-air promenades, dynamic water features and public gathering spaces add to the vibrancy of the complex.
Gensler won a dual appointment as both master planner and architect for Blackpool’s new Conference and Casino Quarter. Seen as a key part of the £1.4bn master plan to transform Blackpool into a resort with international appeal, the development will contain 2.7 million square feet of entertainment, hotel, conferencing and casino development on a 20-acre site. The United Kingdom’s first “super casinos” aim to be the star attraction of the site and were designed to strengthen Blackpool’s reputation as a destination that evokes fun and excitement.
Gensler is designing this six-floor, 160,000-square-foot LEED®-CS Gold headquarters building to be the home of Hollywood’s oldest talent house. The design team developed a formal strategy to appropriately scale the building to its surrounding environment — adjacent high-rise office and low-/mid-rise retail — by shifting the buildings massing along the horizontal axes. This shift creates two programmatic volumes that stack to create outdoor gardens for talent events and executive meetings; breakout halls that serve as pre-function for a 200-seat screening room; and a multi-story atrium lobby stacked above a retail base.
In repositioning the Aladdin Hotel and Desert Passage-themed retail environment, Planet Hollywood aimed to “de-theme” and create an engaging, contemporary shopping destination. In the redesign, Gensler set a tone that is active and energetic, expressed by a vibrant and colorful graphics program that features coordinating wallpapers and surface treatments, furniture, fabrics and floorings. The vivid play between color, scale and geometry makes a bold statement, punctuating the spaces above and between storefronts. Encompassing public areas, signage, wayfinding and retail tenant guidelines, the repositioning spanned the center’s 1.5 miles of retail space and has since yielded increased rents, occupancy, visitors and sales.
Located in the heart of GW’s Foggy Bottom campus, the Smith Center is home to NCAA Division I athletic programs and a host of academic and special events. The Gensler-led renovation and expansion of the facility focused on enhancing visitor experience and University prestige. Beginning with structural modifications, the project included upgrades to building systems and improved accessibility, as well as updated and expanded athletic venues. The Center houses meeting and conference rooms, numerous food and entertainment areas and an academic center.
Located on 700 acres northeast of the state’s capitol, this redevelopment master plan creates a vibrant, environmentally friendly mixed-use community on the California Exposition and State Fair grounds. New state-of-the-art fair facilities and an NBA arena will create a regional destination, providing year-round access to professional and collegiate sports, performing arts, concerts, trade shows and other entertainment. The plan incorporates such sustainable design principles as energy-efficient buildings, public and alternative transportation, and walkable districts in a program that also encompasses retail, hotel/conference center, office and residential components.
This new 225,000-square-foot home for Detroit’s professional football team incorporates a 95,000-square-foot indoor practice field, state-of-the-art training and treatment facilities, and offices that serve as the headquarters of the Lions organization. High-quality player amenities and an office and coaching environment designed to enhance communication and efficiency demonstrate the organization’s commitment to the team and its operations. Green features of this LEED®-certified facility include natural daylighting, intelligent mechanical systems design and energy conservation, as well as the use of renewable and recyclable materials.
A vital component of the entertainment and cultural center of the city, the 16,000-seat Istanbul Super Arena is expected to become one of Europe’s leading venues for sports and entertainment. The arena emerges from the earth, creating a green park setting with a dramatic view to the Bosporus River. The roof will comprise a series of landscaped pedestrian walkways and experiences connecting to the river; knit together, these pedestrian paths enhance the urban public park experience on both sides of the Kadirgalar Caddesi. Work completed by Gensler staff while employed with RTKL Associates, Inc.
Conducted for a new NFL team and USC football, this complete renovation study for the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum also incorporates an athletic training center and a health and wellness center that showcase the NFL and USC brands. A series of semi-public spaces are designed to be used as ticketed, revenue-generating venues on game days, while serving as public parks on non-game days. Work completed by Gensler staff while employed with RTKL Associates, Inc.
This new complex is a transformation of a former industrial site into a campus of sports, recreation and leisure facilities in a park-like environment. Anchored by indoor and outdoor multi-purpose venues for basketball, hockey, football and concerts, the complex will be home to the professional CSKA Euroleague basketball and hockey teams and the Torpedo soccer team. The development also integrates hotel, conference, health, wellness and spa facilities that capitalize on the sports teams' established brands. Work completed by Gensler staff while employed with RTKL Associates, Inc.
Currently under construction, this new multi-purpose indoor entertainment and sports venue will be a jewel in the crown of the city’s premier entertainment precinct, driving the revitalization of the area and re-establishing a connection between commercial and entertainment districts. Accommodating up to 14,000 people, the facility features a retractable roof that will allow Perth to continue hosting tennis’ popular Hopman Cup. Work completed by Gensler staff while employed with RTKL Associates Inc. in collaboration with Ashton Raggatt McDougall (ARM) and Cameron Chisholm and Nicol (CCN).
Home to the French Open tennis tournament, the stadium will have a striking look with this new center court complex. Incorporating world-class amenities for spectators, VIPs, players and the press, the main court will accommodate 15,000 fans (with 35 luxury suites) and features a retractable roof — allowing for play in inclement weather and a greater variety of events year-round. Two additional indoor courts will seat 2,000 and 1,000 spectators, respectively. The facility is intended to be the permanent home for the ATP BNP Masters Tennis Tournament. Project design is in collaboration with Atelier Christian de Portzamparc.
Located off the main entry drive on this pastoral campus and adjacent to an intramural field complex, this new 85,000-square-foot recreation center comprises a two-court gymnasium, a multi-purpose athletic court, weight and fitness room, aerobics and dance studios, locker facilities, and an outdoor pool with deck and barbecue area. The center includes a 145-car subterranean parking level. The use of photovoltaic cells and solar thermal heating for the outdoor pool is being explored by the design team.
This two-story, 55,000-square-foot building fulfills the university's vision to create a focus for student life on campus. Housing a 700-seat event space, student and executive dining, a student pub, bookstore and offices, this new facility responds architecturally to the campus’ historical context with brick façades complemented by glass entries, clerestory windows and skylights to maximize natural daylight in the interiors. The LEED® Silver-certified building introduces a contemporary space to the campus while complementing its existing character.
This once struggling suburban mall has been transformed into a lifestyle center with a new entry, façade and stores. Property updates have vastly improved the mall’s overall presence and appeal, attracting a higher caliber of tenants and creating a more compelling retail mix. A central rotunda featuring a new stone fountain acts as a beacon to draw shoppers and diners, while a new generously landscaped circular drive provides improved access. Modern materials and textures, improved lighting and signage, and revitalized plantings all combine to dramatic effect.
Inspired by the world’s great cityscapes, this latest phase of The Avenues comprises six distinct districts, each offering a signature shopping experience. Emulating the best of destinations like the Champs Elysees and New York’s Soho neighborhood, the development will house 545 retail units, including 52 food and beverage outlets, in a dramatic scheme that includes The Mall, The Grand Avenue, SoKu, The Bazaar, Luxury Mall and The Souk. These new districts will connect to earlier phases of The Avenues through a series of courtyard plazas. The result will be a stunning extension to one of the Middle East’s premier retail and leisure destinations.
Despite the presence of large department stores, Nagoya’s Hoshigaoka Terrace was never seen as a retail destination. At its center, a sloping site and major thoroughfare proved daunting topography. Gensler overcame the site challenges, creating the heart of a new regional retail district where the community gathers to watch theater, walk outdoor gardens, dine and shop. Designers treated the roadway like a river, carving out the hillside bank to form the radial Four Seasons Plaza. Located at the base of the upper-level outdoor terrace, the plaza serves as the centerpiece of the complex, activating the street edge as a place to promenade and gather.
The renovation of the lower floors of this existing office tower will invite a new retail culture to Seoul’s historical context as part of an ongoing effort to encourage a pedestrian orientation. The lower six floors — including a two-level parking garage — have been reconfigured and redesigned into a colorful and vibrant new retail complex comprising contemporary glass façades and public landscaped terraces. An open atrium connects all six floors with an integrated circulation core housing glass elevators, open stairs and escalators. As design architect, Gensler collaborated with Dong II, architect-of-record, throughout construction.
Sited where Bank of America got its start as the historic Bank of Italy, One Powell Street sits across from the famous cable car turnaround where tourists depart Union Square for Fisherman’s Wharf. The restored and renovated building, now part of a successful mixed-use complex, includes apartments, a Bank of America branch and a Forever 21 flagship store that fronts the Market Street corner. In addition to complete historic, seismic, life safety and ADA upgrades, Gensler helped create a world-class retail presence on the ground floor and lower levels of this Beaux Arts jewel box. Gensler’s design for the 30,000-square-foot store, a collaboration with Forever 21, juxtaposes an ultra hip, highly energetic interior against the beautifully preserved details of the historic banking hall.
When a 20-year tenant vacated this former 1960s-era department store, it created an opportunity to re-imagine what the windowless, stucco box property could become. Deftly repositioning the four-story building’s core and shell and re-cladding its skin, designers met the challenge of creating a presence above the street while not distracting from the prime street-level retail. Utilizing the new design package as a marketing tool to attract national retailers, the building was 100-percent leased three months prior to completion and at nearly double the lease rates. A transformed One Fillmore Place not only fills a void in the community’s pedestrian streetscape, it establishes an iconic, retail beacon that invites shoppers into the upscale Cherry Creek North shopping district.
A collaboration between Westfield Design and Gensler, this expansion project introduced 890,000 square feet of contemporary retail space and parking to the Annapolis Mall. Acknowledging the shopping center’s existing architecture, designers updated and extended the mall’s nautical theme to the new interior retail space, signage and wayfinding system. Modern shopping concepts and design elements enhance the upgraded food court and a number of mall courtyards. Because the site dictated that the new parking structure be located above the retail on two levels, the expansion incorporates glass courtyards to provide access and draw light into the shopping areas.
With an eye toward establishing the premier retail shopping destination for California’s Gold Country, Westfield Design in collaboration with Gensler renovated and expanded this mall property, unifying old elements with new to reflect the diversity and growth of the surrounding community. The design offers a mosaic of spaces, experiences and interests incorporating a grand entry, broad promenade, community garden and an elegant collection of new shops and dining options. Materials evoke the textures and colors of nature and the outdoors, celebrating the best of Northern California living. The revitalized shopping center has increased visitorship 46 percent, added 1,600 jobs and contributed to city sales-tax revenues; achievements that garnered Gold honors from the ICSC U.S. Design and Development Awards.
Beginning with the notion that “travel is complicated, rest should be simple,” Choice Hotels International partnered with Gensler to design a low-cost, high-impact prototype for the refresh of some 400 properties. The new Sleep Inn is not just another affordable place to drop bags and rest heads; the prototype considers the whole of the guest experience, from arrival to check-out, addressing key customer touch points. Inexpensive, easy-to-maintain-and-update material selections are deployed to dramatic aesthetic effect, evoking an environment reminiscent of a contemporary classic home. The prototype affords Sleep Inn operators a range of regionally-sensitive design options that appeal both to value-conscious business and aspiring leisure travelers.
Through a GSA design-build lease-back competition, the DEA sought a new headquarters facility that would serve as an iconic home for the agency, improve its public image, increase site and building security, and consolidate multiple departments and locations. Gensler’s winning design addressed all of these goals with a striking four-story, steel-and-glass LEED-NC® Silver certified building. Highly efficient, the building incorporates a traditional speculative office structural model that accommodates a flexible interior, leveraging maximum lease rates and ensuring a future exit strategy for the building’s developer.
GCHQ represents a revolution in the management and working practices of the British government’s major intelligence organizations. Integrating 4,000 staff from 50 buildings and numerous departments in one dynamic headquarters environment, the facility's three identical, interdependent, four-story buildings are configured in a circle, creating the effect of a single, 1.5-million-square-foot structure that encloses a landscaped garden. A glass-roofed internal “street” runs the full circumference of the buildings. One result of the open-plan workspace is that no colleague is more than a five-minute walk from any other colleague. Shared services include a restaurant, cafés, a gym and childcare facilities.
Located in a technology office park, this 125,000-square-foot tenant improvement project houses more than 400 workers from three government agencies. Facilities include offices, teaming areas, an auditorium, cafeteria, video teleconference rooms and an executive suite. The building is designed to be Anti-Terrorism Force Protection (ATFP)-compliant and incorporates site security measures, as well as building envelope improvements for blast and ballistics. To provide maximum facility flexibility, higher-end materials are incorporated in areas that anticipate few design changes over time, with more cost-efficient materials and finishes employed in the transitional spaces. Designated LEED-CI® Gold, this sustainable building provides employees with a bright, modern and functional workplace.
Patriots Plaza, the first speculative office complex in the capital to meet post-9/11 security requirements, demonstrates that a project can be marketable to private-sector tenants with high expectations for workspace aesthetics, while addressing the complexities of new government safety and security standards. The one-million-square-foot, three-building complex offers a range of critical security features that exceed government standards, including minimum 30-foot stand-off distances, progressive collapse avoidance, blast-resistant glass, expendable entryways and a separate vertical transport from garage to security checkpoint. Phases II and III of the complex are certified LEED-CS® Gold and perform 14 percent better than ASHRAE 9.1.
The renovation of this 1970’s-era federal building and courthouse followed the deterioration of its public image under the stress of security adaptations, intensive use and an evolving understanding of the role of public buildings. In renovating and modernizing the one-million-square-foot structure, Gensler added a dramatic new entry pavilion that is open, spacious and inviting to the public, while accommodating proper security and screening of all visitors. An adjacent new blast-proof domed skylight above one of the courtrooms is a counterpoint to the pavilion’s vertical structure and creates an image befitting the prestige and stature of the federal courts.
This adaptive reuse project transformed a 1960s warehouse into a secure, efficient, state-of-the-art hub for the Smithsonian Institution’s growing museum programs. The product of consolidating programs from multiple facilities, the renovated space incorporates workshops for exhibit fabrication and graphics production, environmentally controlled collections storage, thousands of linear feet of library shelving and a rare-book conservation lab. Organized into “buildings” surrounding a community plaza, functions are interconnected by a series of “streets” that serve both pedestrians and forklifts. New skylights and vibrant colors aid wayfinding and enhance productivity and workplace performance across a one-floor space that spans the equivalent to eight acres.
Across a sprawling, 20-acre campus encompassing 2.5 million square feet — the largest single lease ever signed by the U.S. Government — Gensler provided strategic planning, interior design and graphic design for the new headquarters of the USPTO. Accommodating high-performance office space for 7,000 professional staff, the facility includes a public patent-search library, museum, credit union, 500-seat cafeteria, two retail cafés, fitness and child care centers, data center, auditorium and training center, as well as a health facility. The bright and inviting headquarters is the winner of several interior design and environmental graphics awards.
The Riyadh Investment Company, the building’s owner, has commissioned Gensler and builder Saudi Bin Laden Group, winners of an international design competition, to create an iconic architectural landmark within the new the King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD). At more than 300 meters, this tower aims to appeal to small- and medium-sized tenants seeking the prestige of facilities typically associated with a global headquarters. Organized around a stunning “vertical wadi” element, the tower will house more than 5,000 personnel and offer prospective occupants an unprecedented level of amenity and business service. Situated at a prominent corner site in the district, the tower is envisioned as a catalyst for the emerging financial market.
This headquarters building promises state-of-the-art office and amenity space in the heart of the city’s new financial center, the King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD). Intended as the home of the newly formed GCC Bank, the region’s governing financial institution, the tower’s timeless architectural design is tailored specifically in response to contemporary workplace demands and environmental requirements. Clad in a distinctive copper and stainless steel shell, the building’s exterior projects an elegant aesthetic while protecting occupants from intense solar gain. Within the tower, the functional and spatial arrangements of interior office environments are being planned to support the bank’s business activities.
Sited on the Magnificent Mile and across from the John Hancock Tower, Fourth Church is one of Chicago’s most visible religious institutions. Built after the Great Fire, the church and its “light in the city” ministry are intertwined closely with Chicago history. Gensler is designing an addition that will sustain the continuing vitality of the 6,000-member congregation and its community outreach. The addition will house classrooms, a day school, library, dining facility, multi-function spaces, a 350-person chapel, and a double-height gallery that connects the addition to the original building. When complete in 2012, the five-story building will support 10,000 congregants. The addition is designed to achieve a LEED® Silver certification.
Jackson Hole is the gateway to Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks, world-class skiing and myriad summer sporting activities. With the Teton Range as its breathtaking backdrop, the mountain resort’s airport offers many adventure-seeking tourists their first and last impression of the community. Given the terminal’s strict site boundary limitations — it is the only U.S. airport located within a national park — and the dramatic surroundings, the recent renovation and expansion position the airport as a refined, understated foreground feature of the awe-inspiring landscape. Vernacular woods, exposed structural elements, and an emphasis on human scale and historic western heritage distinguish Jackson Hole from conventional airport designs.
During the last decade, Gensler has partnered with this global manufacturer and distributor of electrical solutions, developing guidelines and standards for workplace and branding, designing a customer briefing center prototype, and expanding existing warehouse distribution and office/manufacturing facilities. The latest effort, the LEED® Gold-designed world headquarters is a break from the conventional suburban office park. Located outside Chicago, the five-story, 280,000-square-foot building represents the first phase in a Gensler-authored, 30-year master plan. Infused with Panduit’s brand and inspired by its high-tech products, the sleek, granite-and-glass structure symbolizes the company’s vision of establishing an environmentally responsible “building of the future” for its clients and employees.
Williamson-Dickie Manufacturing Company, better known as Dickies, has transformed itself from a small Texas bib overall company to the largest workwear manufacturer in the world. Gensler revamped four Dickies showrooms as part of the company’s larger brand refresh program. The new showrooms remain true to the Dickies brand, using materials familiar to customers, but in unexpected and cost-conscious ways, such as raw steel fencing display grids, barn door-like display panels and sawhorse-inspired custom tables. Gensler's design contributions have helped elevate Dickies brand, while dramatically improving showroom sales.
Designed as representative of the Bay Area’s culture and aesthetic, the newly renovated Terminal 2 (SFO T2) accommodates 14 gates serving Virgin America and American Airlines. The terminal elevates the passenger experience through design strategies that reduce traveler stress, highlight the airport’s world-renowned art installations and promote progressive sustainability measures. With an emphasis on service, hospitality and comfort, SFO T2 features a post-security Recompose area, a meeters-and-greeters lounge, hotel-inspired seating areas and a range of locally sourced, organic dining options. The first LEED® Gold-certified terminal in the United States, T2 supports SFO’s goals of zero waste, sustainable education and reduced carbon footprint. See the Interactive Map and learn more at GenslerOn.
The Center for Dance is the largest professional dance facility of its kind in the United States. A visual reminder of Houston’s commitment to the performing arts, the center serves as a gateway to the city’s Theater District and a living billboard for dance. The building’s design draws inspiration from a proscenium stage, showcasing classes and rehearsals through large windows into double-height-volume rehearsal studios. Home to the ballet and its Academy, the six-story, 115,000-square-foot building boasts nine dance studios, a dance laboratory, and artistic, administrative and support facilities.
Following previous collaborations on four other stores nationwide, Barneys New York asked Gensler to design its new, 62,000-square-foot Scottsdale store. Because the new location was created through an expansion of an existing mall, it could be designed to express the Barneys brand both inside and out. Local materials reference the vernacular landscape, with identifiable geometric shapes incorporated in both the exterior skin and throughout the interior. Inside, an intricate steel-and-glass floating stair and artwork integrated in the design exude the Barneys brand ethos of taste, luxury and humor.
Adjacent Chicago’s heavily trafficked Kennedy Expressway, this new dealership provides a showcase for Fletcher Jones’ luxury automotive range and commitment to sustainability. The stand-alone facility incorporates 60,000-square-feet of interior showroom and customer parking with additional square footage allotted to exterior inventory beneath a green roof. Traditional Autohaus elements and Mercedes-Benz branding welcome customers at the main entrance, while the angular, expressway-facing, glass-and-metal façade acts as a billboard, offering high-profile visibility to the vehicles housed within. Certified LEED® Silver, the dealership also complies with Chicago Green Building requirements, emphasizing environmental and thermal controls, as well as energy and water efficiency.
Developing an iconic retail store concept for the largest U.S. producer of organic, estate-grown olive oil meant enhancing the brand’s positioning and profile in the community. Gensler worked closely with owner Nan Tucker McEvoy’s team to refine the articulation of the brand’s image — both in the small historic Ferry Building store and on product packaging. With imagery and natural materials inspired by the company’s Petaluma, Calif., headquarters ranch, the San Francisco store conveys McEvoy’s “fresh from the ranch” approach, refining the brand’s presentation and drawing customers into its warm, friendly space.
Amplifying the brand tagline, “Never Stop Exploring,” the new global prototype inspires customers to get outside and experience the great outdoors. Composed of natural elements and textures, the store environment reinforces the metaphor of customer journey as a path of discovery. Trail markers, or “cairns,” built of wood, stone and metal, lend product displays a dynamic appearance and distinguish the store’s core categories — outdoor, action sports and performance. Large-scale photos and flat-panel video screens further enliven the retail environment, enabling customers to engage with The North Face-endorsed athletes and product specialists, while learning about expeditions chartered around the world.
When she launched in late 2009, Oasis of the Seas became the largest, most cutting-edge cruise ship in the world, spanning 16 decks and housing 2,700 staterooms. To complement the ship’s luxurious amenities, Gensler worked closely with Royal Caribbean to create a signature cruise line shopping experience. In addition to naming, branding, packaging, storefront design, store interior design and fixture design, Gensler led the overall design and execution of the ship’s 10,000-square-foot retail zone. Comprising 13 stores and open-air shopping, the zone introduces an exclusive selection of brands and retail concepts.
Located within Baltimore’s hip, urban Harbor East neighborhood, this branch incorporates PNC Bank design objectives — recognizable, accessible, sustainable — within a redeveloped turn-of the-century furniture warehouse. Gensler’s design infused salvaged base building material with PNC’s standard kit-of-parts to create a welcoming banking environment that’s both contemporary and timeless. The removal of a floor during renovation yielded a wealth of century-old building material that contributed to the branch earning LEED®-CI Gold certification. PNC’s prototypical architectural and branding elements are reinterpreted and adapted to reflect the building’s historic character and the bank’s community connections.
A manufacturer of specialty mineral products, AMCOL partnered with Gensler to design a headquarters that showcases innovation and environmental stewardship, while promoting collaboration between company scientists and the corporate groups that market, sell and distribute AMCOL’s applications. Located in a seven-acre sustainable development that preserves and protects wetlands and wildlife habitat, the LEED® Silver-certified headquarters provides a place where the products made from the “clay of a 1,000 uses” can be displayed to educate and inform customers and employees alike. A vertical space called “the canyon” visually connects the two-story, 80,000-square-foot facility’s open offices to its laboratory and meeting spaces, reinforcing connections between products and people.
Challenged to consolidate two campuses into one unified world headquarters, Beckman Coulter engaged Gensler to transform its work environment through a project encompassing the renovation of a five-building campus comprising work space, labs, manufacturing and associated amenities. A team composed of integrated design disciplines provided the biomedical instrument provider with workplace strategy, planning and interior design, branding and environmental graphics, sustainable strategies and base-building architectural design. The resulting headquarters is an activity-based workplace centered on the company’s core values of wellness and innovation, providing a range of spaces and settings for collaborating, learning and socializing.
When ConMed relocated its headquarters to an unoccupied manufacturing facility, the surgical products manufacturer sought to revitalize its workplace environment with a creative and innovative setting. In response, Gensler reconfigured the building envelope through an expanse of new and existing openings at the perimeter and roof. Light walls carved through the building’s center create double-height shared spaces where all employees enjoy either natural or borrowed light. A re-energized work environment is enhanced further by expanded amenities, including training centers, a conference center and cafeteria. Following move-in, the company reported increased productivity and administrative efficiency, adding that the headquarters reflected an image consistent with its products.
This three-story addition to Lexicon Genetics’ existing facility comprises laboratories, a vivarium, offices, food services, meeting rooms, as well as a bold new entry. With its modern glass façade and curved roofline the new structure provides Lexicon’s corporate headquarters with visual prominence, while conveying the strength and security vital to its proprietary genomics technology and research. Formal and informal teaming spaces offer employees ample opportunities for collaboration, which is essential to the process of discovering and developing more-effective drugs.
As part of the new Cy-Fair campus, Gensler designed a 98,000-square-foot Health Science Center. The west wing of this two-story building comprises classrooms and faculty suites, while the east wing contains teaching laboratories and open computer labs. The Allied Health department, located on the first floor includes a medical assistant office and lab, three nursing suites, three radiology suites and one sonography lab. The Science Department on the second floor comprises chemistry (organic and inorganic), biology, microbiology, geology, anatomy and physics labs, which share a common lab prep area.
Upon acquiring Unilab, Quest Diagnostics consolidated its Los Angeles clinical laboratory operations into a single campus location. The vision was to employ “best in class” systems and processes to create an effective and efficient laboratory utilizing Six Sigma/Lean Design methodologies in the planning and design process. Comprising 250,000 square feet of diagnostic laboratories, distribution space and offices, a new 600-ton central plant and service yard outfitted with emergency generators and a DI (pure) water system, the facility promotes flexibility and synergy between departments with an open-plan system featuring shared natural light, timeless materials and modular lab benches.
After master planning a new 25-acre research campus for this leading biotechnology company, Gensler planned, programmed and designed a new corporate headquarters and state-of-the-art research facility, including the renovation of a 65,000-square-foot industrial building. The headquarters incorporates four research laboratories and a 3,500-square-foot AAALAC-certified rodent vivarium, along with 50,000 square feet of office space. To prevent the promotion of cross-contamination, the facility employs separate mechanical systems that have the additional benefit of accommodating future campus growth. Meeting spaces promote collaboration between departments and the efficient exchange of knowledge.
UT Health Science Center’s Clinical Skills program tests students in a practical clinical environment, while the Surgical Skills Lab program allows for research, education and testing of students’ surgical skills in a variety of environments. Gensler renovated 11,400 square feet of basement shell space to serve these two programs. Facilities include two mock operating rooms and surgical lab space to provide for research and education. The operating rooms feature full-body simulators interfaced with A/V and computer recording equipment that can be programmed to simulate virtually any medical situation that might be encountered.
Gensler designed this 15,600 square-foot suite to replace facilities that were destroyed by Tropical Storm Allison in 2001. The design includes a 57-station gross anatomy lab, morgue, plastination lab, plastination/model display rooms, offices and conference facilities. One of the busiest facilities of its kind in the United States, the morgue serves not only the UT medical school but many other institutions. It incorporates two embalming stations, a built-in freezer and cooler, as well as body and chemical storage. The gross anatomy lab provides education facilities for both medical and dental students across the university.
Through extensive renovation, Gensler transformed an aging spec-office building on the I-10 freeway near downtown Los Angeles into a distinctive landmark — a generously day-lit, sustainable headquarters that visually conveys Cathay Bank’s “open-door” approach to banking. Working with the volumetric constraints of its existing structural frame, the new exterior envelope dramatically re-shaped and re-proportioned the building while also enhancing seismic and energy performance. A signature super-graphic of a goldfish — the Chinese symbol of abundance and wealth — spans multiple floors, adding color and interest to this high-performance workplace.
In renovating this aging Silicon Valley hotel, its owner saw an opportunity not only to refresh the property but to reposition it as a hip, intimate boutique hotel that would cater to a market segment largely ignored by other local offerings. The design team’s goal was to develop a residential feeling and to establish mood through texture, color and light. An inviting lounge with modern furnishings and saturated color accents sets a tone that is carried through to guest rooms and other public areas. The multi-phased renovation included eight guestroom floors, three large ballrooms, a lounge and a fitness center.
Gensler considered and designed every detail of this office/hotel/condominium project — from its strategic location to it furnishings — for optimal economic, environmental and community benefit. Highly efficient office and hotel floor plates optimize lease and planning spans, while the hotel’s interiors feature steel and glass elements, a nod to the city’s industrial past, as well as works by local artists. The lobby’s high ceiling draws in abundant natural light, setting the tone for an asymmetric grand staircase that leads to the restaurant. Guest rooms, with color schemes inspired by Pittsburgh’s rivers and bridges, convey a timeless aesthetic and spacious feel through thoughtful design details and elegantly simple furniture.
An adaptive re-use of Philadelphia’s historic “Architects Building,” this sophisticated 230-room hotel is Kimpton’s first LEED® Silver-certified property. The hotel includes a signature restaurant, a dozen spa suites, a presidential suite, a penthouse ballroom, a more prominent canopy entrance and a reconfigured lobby aptly called “The Living Room.” As an adaptive re-use project, the hotel incorporates multiple eco-conscious design and operations initiatives, from resource conservation to energy and water-use reduction.
This San Francisco landmark, a beloved Tiki bar and Polynesian dining room within The Fairmont hotel, was in dire need of a facelift following 60 years of operation and several mediocre renovation efforts. Gensler was brought in to refresh the entry foyer, bar area and dining room with the objective of enhancing the classic space and addressing various maintenance and operational issues. The updates highlight the original Tiki elements, improve circulation and increase bar seating. New lighting, furnishings and finishes add warmth and energy to the renewed space.
The goal for the Hilton family and acclaimed restaurateur Donna Scala with this new restaurant was the creation of an urban eatery that reinvents hotel dining. To complement the eclectic food, the space is designed to be stylish, casual and timeless. A striking, colorful metal horse sculpture welded from tractor, motorcycle and car parts serves as the focal point of the dining room, juxtaposing other old and new, rural and urban elements throughout the restaurant. Natural materials and reclaimed wood beams and claddings establish a warm, inviting atmosphere in contemporary style.
Reflecting Marriott’s forward-thinking approach, this hotel design eschews outmoded, formulaic hospitality concepts to appeal to Courtyard’s target clientele: style-conscious Gen X-ers who value ambience and comfort. A departure from the standard Courtyard brand, this hotel features infusions of color, form, texture and visual enticements to provide chic, yet reasonably priced accommodations. Traditionally separate reception, lounge and meeting areas are reworked here to create an open flow from one space to the next. Sophisticated furnishings and materials create comfortable, engaging public spaces both indoors and out.
This modern, three-star hotel fills a 12-story mixed-use building in the new CITYCENTRE development on Houston’s west side. The hotel includes 244 guest rooms on floors three through ten, a fitness center and spa. The upper floors are occupied by corporate-lease apartments, with the first and second levels dedicated to restaurants, a large bar area, meeting rooms and a swimming pool. Furnishings and finishes in public areas are predominantly neutral in tone, punctuated by splashes of intense color and bold patterns for dramatic impact. Guest rooms are modern and serene.
For the third phase in the makeover of the ground-floor common areas of the legendary Century Plaza hotel, Gensler updated the lobby, imbuing it with a taste of Hollywood glamour. The new lobby is elegant and posh, with custom-designed furniture and fixtures. Colors are deep and rich — golds, reds and browns — and finishes are warm and welcoming. A unique plaster containing tiny acrylic beads covers the columns, giving them a subtle sparkle. The design team also reclaimed a dead patio space that now engages guests with comfortable seating, heaters and electric candles.
In 1990, the former Century Paramount Theater was transformed into a cutting edge hotel. In 2007, Gensler was asked by the property’s new owner to refresh the Times Square icon. With a focus on light and color, the hotel’s 597 rooms were renovated with contrasting textural materials and modern, serene furnishings. Guest rooms feel larger thanks to innovative, space-saving furniture solutions. Color schemes are primarily neutral but employ a strategic application of saturated color for pop and fun. Vibrant décor enlivens the lobby, and mezzanine floors combine historical architecture with chic, contemporary styles.
The defining element of this new Hyatt Regency Century Plaza bar is a highly visible cross-brace that resulted from a seismic retrofit of the building. Rather than hide this element, the design team chose to clad and paint the oversized “X” to create a striking brand mark. To establish the space, hotel registration was moved, thereby accommodating the bar/lounge, large kitchen and adjacent expansive outdoor private patio. The design is understated yet elegant, casual but sophisticated, acknowledging the high-end hotel’s business clientele, while still evoking laid-back Southern Californian spirit.
The redesign and upgrade of this underperforming guestroom building resulted in a property complete with a new concierge-level club, six high-end suites, and two new and unique standard guestroom models — one of which was served as the prototype for the building’s remaining guestrooms. The renovation included the sensitive task of remodeling the historically significant main building lobby and entry foyer, along with its Aztec, Gold and Grand Ballrooms. In conjunction with this project, Gensler also redesigned the original resort cottage buildings, converting them from standard four- and six-units to high-end, two-unit spa casitas.
Named for architect Albert Chase McArthur and his instructor and collaborator, Frank Lloyd Wright, this remodeled and updated restaurant is a respectful recreation of the original Biltmore Grill. With its horizontal, intersecting planes, the new restaurant exhibits the proportions and architectural spirit of the original while introducing new materials and engaging spaces. The design team employed the block molds from the original construction in 1927, extrapolating the pattern to create copper screens and glass frit. Overhangs, shaded intermediate rooms and folding walls respond to the desert climate and harvest natural light.
Working in collaboration with French architect Groupe-6, Gensler has been selected by Société De Projet Salle Multifonction, S.A.S. as lead architect for the Villeurbanne-Lyon Arena project, a new 12,000-seat indoor multipurpose facility that includes the Tony Parker Academy, a training center for promising young basketball players. This project is expected to open in April 2015 and will anchor a broader mixed-use development that includes a public plaza, team practice facilities, a cultural hall and links to nearby transit.
Gensler won the design and planning competition to create this groundbreaking mixed-use development. The project, led by MESA Housing Industries, Inc., will develop 370 acres, bringing a range of new residential, office, retail and hospitality options to the city and its 14 million residents. The plan also establishes 150 acres of open spaces and parks, including the region’s first theme park. Incorporating best practices around planning, design and sustainability — building around existing transportation routes, maximizing proximity and views to the lake, creating dynamic open spaces — Gensler's concept respects the city’s rich history and culture at the crossroads of Asia and Europe. The master plan concept, The City of Seven Gardens, was inspired by Istanbul’s nickname, “The City on Seven Hills.”
The South Terminal Redevelopment Program aims to reinvent the way Denver International Airport (DIA) connects to the city — providing travelers a swifter gateway to downtown Denver — while turning the airport into a travel destination. The project, an addition to the existing Jeppesen Terminal, will provide infrastructure and connections for future terminal expansion. Program elements include a new train station servicing the RTD FasTracks commuter rail connection to and from downtown, a new 500-key Westin hotel and conference center, and an outdoor public plaza linking the hotel, conference center and train station to the Jeppesen Terminal. Slated for 2015 completion, the airport seeks to improve passengers’ travel experience before they take flight and after they land.
Named Airports Council International’s “Best Airport Worldwide” for seven years running, Incheon is a gateway to Korea and an aviation connection between Asia and the world. In mid-2011, nine international design teams competed to design a second, 72-gate terminal that doubles the airport’s size. Gensler, as the collaborating design architect with the HMGY (Heerim-Mooyoung-Gensler-Yungdo) Consortium, won the competition with an elegant, yet practical terminal concept notable for its extensive sustainable design features. The airport’s expansion includes a second control tower, train station, parking facilities, and an integral hotel and conference center. Slated for 2017 completion, Terminal 2 will incorporate advanced technologies that set new performance benchmarks for the celebrated airport.
Just north of Shanghai, this five-building complex is a model of sustainable development, organized around a vast manmade lake and connected by bridges skimming the water’s surface. Terraces, pavilions and other spaces offer water views, invite gatherings and build community. The range of settings provided across the complex speaks to the diversity of learning style that the school will support: Facilities include an academic incubator with wet and dry labs, a cultural center, guest rooms and suites. Because of the 201-acre site’s high water table, 40 acres are left as undisturbed wetlands.
Following Haiti’s 2010 earthquake, Gensler became involved in the city of Jacmel through Operation USA, an international relief agency heavily involved in Haiti’s relief efforts. Located on the country’s southern coast, Jacmel saw 70 percent of its homes damaged or destroyed. With funding from Honeywell, Operation USA enlisted Gensler to provide pro-bone design services for the reconstruction of the Ecole Nationale Jacob Martin Henriquez. The school re-opened in October 2011 to children eager to resume their daily routines. Jacmel’s rebuilt campus serves more than 400 students in grades K-7 who otherwise cannot afford primary education. The school also enables local engineers to learn how to construct buildings capable of withstanding future earthquakes and hurricanes.
The sole provider of higher education for western Massachusetts’ Pioneer Valley, GCC prepares students for the region’s growing knowledge-based economy. To modernize its 1970s-era campus core, GCC turned to Gensler to help shape a vision and strategy for redefining the experience of the school’s Berkshire foothills campus. The transformed grounds include a new quadrangle capable of hosting large, outdoor functions, clearer connections between facilities with improved accessibility, and the centerpiece, a repositioned large-volume library that now functions as the hub of school activity with a learning commons, student services, administration and assembly spaces for social engagement.
Constructed in 1926, the Julia Ideson Building is one of Houston’s civic treasures. A $32 million renovation of the former main library resulted from a dynamic public/private partnership between the City of Houston and the non-profit Julia Ideson Library Preservation Partners (JILPP). Providing a repository for Houston memorabilia and rare archival material, the “new” library serves as the official city reception space and venue for exhibits, meetings and special events. Designed by noted Boston architect Ralph Adams Cram, the Spanish Renaissance building is replete with polychrome painted ceilings, intricate woodwork, marble columns and lofty public spaces. The restored library introduces a south wing and reading garden that were unrealized features of Cram’s original design.
Bringing together multidisciplinary teams to develop solutions to alleviate global poverty, the Blum Center complex renovates and expands the historic 1914 Naval Architecture Building to provide a light-filled, three-story space shared by the center and the college. Responding to its landmark counterpart with a modern interpretation, the new wing is connected to the existing building by a second-floor bridge. The LEED® Silver-certified building incorporates a number of sustainable design strategies, including extensive use of glass, sunshades, operable windows and FSC-certified cedar shingles from sustainably managed forests.