http://www.gensler.com requires a more recent version of the Flash player than you currently have installed, and JavaScript turned on to view this content.
The 26-gate North Terminal replacement 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 the terminal 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.
From the moment travelers arrive at Palm Springs International Airport, they experience the natural environment that makes Palm Springs a memorable resort town. The architecture captures the unique character of its site, providing views and fresh air from exterior to interior spaces. Gensler housed the majority of airport functions—holdrooms, ticketing and retail applications—in two octagonal pavilions centered on interior landscaped courtyards. These are linked together by a terraced outdoor patio and garden that are covered by membrane structures of Teflon®-coated fiberglass. New regional jet holdrooms, expanded security screening areas, and enhanced interior and exterior area are in development.
After six years of double-digit growth, San Jose International Airport partnered with Gensler to plan its future around exceptional passenger experience. Gensler conducted numerous studies to understand traveler dynamics, and then developed a flexible terminal concept that anticipates growth and streamlines traveler movement. The terminal will accommodate 40 aircraft, 10,000 rental cars and short-term parking. The first phase of the concept plan, the North Concourse, is under construction and will provide space for passenger processing pending completion of the new central terminal.
Although Terminal 2 is only a decade old, 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's updated design for the 35th Street Bridge and Station transforms the commuting experience on Chicago's South Side. On game days at nearby U.S. Cellular Field, new canopies, fencing, sidewalks, lighting and landscaping provide a dynamic urban plaza for fans and vendors to gather. Year-round, the station and bridge serve as a vital link between neighborhoods on either side of Chicago's busiest expressway.
Gensler designed an Automated People Mover to connect the diverse programs and architectural statements of MGM MIRAGE® CityCenter™, the largest private development under construction in the United States. Weaving through CityCenter's buildings, rather than along The Strip, and connecting to the Monte Carlo and Bellagio Hotels, the people mover will facilitate the dynamic movement of residents and guests. At night, the path will be illuminated, and the elliptical glass stations will welcome passengers with a warm glow.
One Thousand Steps was PacSun's mall-based specialty shoe and high-end accessories store targeted to brand-conscious 20-25-year-old customers. Innovative wall storage units warehoused the majority of stock, allowing for greater on-floor category merchandising and display opportunities. Besides providing immediate product access for sale associates, these movable cabinets also contained illuminated niches to showcase multiple product categories. The center "orb," a molded fiberglass room, functioned as an integrated cashwrap and housed accessories such as bags, belts, wallets and watches.
To celebrate the graphic arts industry's best work in 2005, Gensler collaborated with the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) to conceive a display system as ingenious as the pieces on exhibit. Highlighted by a simple, iconic lightbulb, each piece is accompanied by a statement from the designer. As visitors view each piece, a light bulb wired to a motion sensor illuminates a translucent credit panel serving as a backdrop for the entry. As visitors trigger each sensor, text containing the designer's "big idea" is highlighted. The exhibit design is organized to showcase both the individual and collective excellence of the featured work.
The Carneros Inn is a 27-acre luxury resort in the Carneros region of Napa Valley, featuring 96 guest cottages, two restaurants, a spa and fitness center, swimming pool, organic gardens and 24 resort residences. Gensler worked with the Carneros Inn team to develop their brand positioning, hospitality identity, business system, print materials, Web site, and residential wayfinding and signage system. All parts of the program were created with the intent of visually communicating the rich heritage of this famous agricultural and wine-growing region.
CityCenter™ enables people to experience Las Vegas as true insiders in one of the world's most remarkable settings. As Executive Architect, Gensler provided information critical to the development of a successful residential sales experience. In partnership with the MGM MIRAGE® Residential Sales team, Gensler's set a new benchmark for the world's greatest luxury sales experiences. A multi-disciplinary Gensler team of brand strategists and interior, graphic and environmental designers collaborated to craft every facet of the customer experience, from designing the actual space and concepting videos to developing the content and design for all of the printed sales collateral.
Gensler's master plan and signage design program for the Houston Downtown Management Corporation strives to optimize pedestrian and vehicular traffic flow in downtown Houston. Four major entry points guide traffic to civic and office complexes at street, skywalk and tunnel levels.
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.
Designers carefully integrated the project's comprehensive graphics package within the overall design concept to create an attractive and functional system. The design scheme uses the building's new location, Paternoster Square, as a graphic mechanism to refer to the world's other global financial centers. Individual meeting rooms are designated by a series of colored squares, representing global map references that were then further integrated with the door signage, glass partitions and wall graphics. Signage wrapped around corners and embedded in the floor serves as a complementary element to the architecture.
Gensler was commissioned to brand, name and design all the communication materials for a new residential tower based in Dubai. The marketing initiative for the scheme was to offer a "contemporary living" style in Dubai. Working with the proposition "Living reinvented," Gensler designed an overall concept to convey the exclusive nature of the development. The name and logotype echoed the proposed architecture by using a custom typeface that is modern in its execution. The chosen color palette reflects the natural aspects of the scheme and can be used as a signature color throughout. Other promotional materials included stationery, brochures, advertising media and Web site design.
Gensler created a series of printed pieces that illustrate Tandus' history of environmental stewardship and innovation in unique and highly visual ways. Key messages were developed into two brochures, an ad campaign, eye-catching shopping bag and graphics in the company's Chicago showroom. The materials have successfully communicated the brand message clearly and modestly, while also establishing an emotional connection with the Tandus sales teams, giving them a feeling of empowerment and confidence in their product.
Virgin Mobile USA was founded on the idea of being irreverent as well as financially successful, an attitude that is demonstrated in its advertising and celebrated by customers and employees alike. Gensler developed a program of environmental graphics and fixturing focused on high traffic and visitor-facing areas. The resulting three-dimensional brand experience creates visual impact that is reflective of the company's casual, youth-oriented vibe.
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 designed to become 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 3,000-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.
In response to a recently revised strategic plan, the Alberta College of Art and Design (ACAD) wanted to explore opportunities to develop an urban campus, more closely connected to downtown Calgary. ACAD asked Gensler to help them develop the strategy and tools needed to communicate their vision and to garner support from a variety of stakeholders. After conducting extensive research, the Gensler team developed a repositioning and communications strategy and created a printed brochure that presents ACAD's bold and innovative spirit, and creates excitement about the opportunities for creating a downtown Calgary arts district.
Gensler's 35-year history with the Bank began with architecture and interiors services, but has expanded to include real estate and facility planning, occupancy tracking and retail design. Since 2001 Gensler has served as the Bank's planning partner for the western United States, and international portfolio since early 2007. This role includes strategic planning, tactical planning and space management for 12 million square feet of space in seven states, the United Kingdom and EMEA. In 2006, Gensler launched a new design guidelines project that will guide the planning and design of the Bank's new and renovated administrative spaces throughout the United States, starting with three projects to be completed in 2007/2008.
Gensler worked closely with the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to develop a strategic facilities plan that facilitated their goal of improving customer satisfaction. The plan recommends service delivery channel changes, a facilities prototype model, and creates a management structure for the real estate portfolio. All of Gensler's recommendations were grounded in primary and secondary research, including focus groups, interviews, and a survey with public customers and research into technology, demographic, and real estate market trends.
Looking to help the client “cultivate a culture of creativity” across its extensive workplace portfolio, Gensler studied 10 global sites spanning five business segments. Gensler used the resulting report, a comprehensive detailing of how people work and use their space, to establish enterprise-wide planning and design guidelines. The report outlines a consistent, disciplined process for executing future workplace design projects, and sets a vision for work environments that support the client's commitment to environmental and fiscal responsibility.
Gensler is designing a strategic communications program for GlaxoSmithKline employees that delivers information about how new work environments support cultural and work process changes happening throughout the company. In addition to providing a platform for employee engagement, the program helps employees understand how to work effectively in new workspaces. As part of the campaign, Gensler is producing newsletters, posters, employee handbooks and facilitating workshops and orientation sessions.
HP called on Gensler to help develop a new, globally applicable workplace planning approach that supports their mobile culture. The "HP Guidebook" resulted from a series of intense collaborative activities delivered in short order, including a five-day charette with HP global workplace leaders and user input collected from worldwide locations delivered through Web-based photo essays. The guidelines advocate a new workplace paradigm — "the whole floor is my workplace" — and create targeted solutions for teaming, learning, heads-down and confidential work, while advancing the HP culture and the company's commitment to sustainability.
For five years Gensler has been collaborating with MetLife on the redevelopment and consolidation of much of their Northeast portfolio. The partnership is resulting in increasingly bold thinking on new workplace strategies intended to drive MetLife's success through a stronger linkage between user needs, corporate goals and their physical spaces. Gensler's work has included design guidelines, design of 1 million+ square feet, change management/communication and detailed move planning. Gensler has also completed a multi-generational workplace study, which led to a better understanding of how to design future work environments that better accommodate diverse work styles.
Gensler's Facilities Master Plan for The County of Orange makes recommendations on the most efficient use of County-owned and -leased land, facilities, and parking for the next five, 10 and 20 years. The comprehensive plan concludes that the County would achieve portfolio optimization through disposition, relocation and rehabilitation of their existing holdings, and outlines associated costs and revenue generation opportunities.
After successfully refreshing Columbia College's interior circulation corridors, Gensler teamed with the school to rethink the way its 16 buildings fit into this burgeoning South Loop neighborhood. The first stage of this renovation project incorporated several lobbies and first-floor spaces. Today, the college also boasts a new-student tour center, open-plan classroom environment, faculty resource area, health club, and school of journalism. The college's new and renovated facilities have been repositioned to engage visitors and the surrounding community.
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.
As part of a nationwide education overhaul, Gensler partnered with the county of Kent to redesign 150 failing schools around the county's new pedagogical model, which focuses on the individual learner. Gensler's analysis of the current schools included providing children with disposable cameras to photograph what they didn't like about their schools. The design prototype recaptures and refocuses space to facilitate both personalized and collaborative learning processes. Each school will be a place of civic pride and gathering for children and adults alike.
The University of Houston Downtown simultaneously pays homage to the main campus across the Buffalo Bayou and embraces the urban experience. The L-shaped, Gensler-designed building, partially clad in the university's signature red brick, opens to the city, the Bayou and a nearby park with its bowed curtain wall. The major public entry at the corner of Main and Commerce is a gateway to downtown and a gesture to the main campus. The new facility houses the University's Urban Education and Criminal Justice departments.
Gensler collaborated with Jones Studio, Inc. to design this new classroom, research and office facility for departments including Political Science, Sociology and Social Science. The client sought to create a signature building as forward thinking as its namesake, past university president Lattie F. Coor, who is credited with elevating ASU's academic stature. The design integrates architecture with the latest digital technology, resulting in a user-friendly, state-of-the-art learning environment.
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.
Biola University teamed with Gensler to design a new library, as its previous library could no longer accommodate its collection or provide adequate study space for its students. Rather than rebuilding on site, Gensler selected a prominent site on the campus quadrangle occupied by a parking lot. This central location enabled designers to complete the academic quad while reinforcing a tree-lined walk connecting the library to Biola's lower campuses.
The renovation of the 20-year-old Woodruff Dining Hall transformed the previously dark dining hall into a cheerful, hip gathering place for students. Using bright colors, new finishes, and both artificial and natural lighting, Gensler created a welcoming space with optimized circulation and improved operational efficiency. The design revived the space and drew in new patrons, increasing revenues by 40% and eliciting an enthusiastic student response.
Gensler sited Notre Dame de Namur University's 200-bed residence hall in the heart of its campus to strengthen the presence of the residential student community and foster activity at the core of campus. The low rise, wood-clad building fits into its park-like surroundings, and yet is a distinctive place on campus. In designing the building, Gensler initiated a highly collaborative design process to meet the university's LEED® Gold sustainability goal.
As part of a 10-year master plan, this new academic and student center will help St. John's University recruit new students, improve retention of its student body, and expand academic facilities. Located in an underutilized part of campus, Gensler's design forms the edge of a new quadrangle, and the fieldstone, brick, and glass facade references existing campus buildings. The center will contain state-of-the-art classrooms, a multi-purpose room, meeting rooms, computer labs, and study areas, as well as student organization spaces and dining facilities.
The Fred Parks Law Library is a flexible, inviting space that considers the long hours law students spend in libraries. With its entry linked to the primary college entrance, a grand stair welcomes students and staff to a two-story lobby on the second floor of the library. This open space is illuminated by a corner curtain wall system that transmits natural light. The upper level of the library includes a conference center and a terrace with views of the Houston skyline for reading and studying.
Gensler's completion of the new Fred Parks Law Library at South Texas College of Law provided the opportunity to design a courtroom of the future at the school. This adaptive reuse project converted the old library facility into a 4,000-square-foot mock court facility. The new facility incorporates features consistent with new courts facilities of major cities, including state-of-the-art technology. This courtroom complex is the heart of the law school, named in honor of the Dean Treece, who established the college's national reputation.
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! will be a 2,000-seat music hall located in downtown Los Angeles. Gensler created a contemporary and dynamic design that becomes "part of the show." The music hall will occupy 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 will include 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.
Gensler teamed with Motorola to develop Motorola M-Lab, an "edu-tainment" venue that exposes kids to science, technology and innovation at career-focused theme park Wannado City in Florida. Gensler created an experience where tweens aged 8-12 play as "M-ventors" in Motorola's Innovation Lab, solving a unique problem using an interactive video game and working in teams. The result is an experience providing fun, learning and a new and positive connection to the Motorola brand.
Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank's new headquarters enables the Bank to meet global challenges while remaining true to its cultural heritage. The needs, aspirations and cultural sensitivities of customers and of the 600-strong workforce (40% local and 60% ex-pat) are respected throughout the design. The environment includes integrated prayer facilities and an adaptable desk system that respects personal space. The headquarters' lounge atmosphere reflects regional and private banking traditions of hospitality through welcoming spaces.
Beazley's new office space in London embodies the firm's vibrant specialty-risk insurance and reinsurance brand and provides a flexible workplace to support future business growth. Broker areas and conference rooms are designed to accommodate a variety of group sizes. Large windows in the flexible reception area offer views of the City that serve as a dramatic backdrop for parties and events. Meeting rooms with additional support spaces are located on the main circulation paths of the building, encouraging interaction and communication between staff.
A departure from the traditional stock exchange paradigm, the London Stock Exchange is an energizing workspace that embraces new work patterns, technologies and strategic purposes. Gensler's design promotes openness and transparency, showcasing program elements such as the cutting edge media center, and creating workspaces for dialogue and impromptu meetings. In the eight-story atrium, "The Source," a kinetic sculpture by the collaborative artists Greyworld, consists of 729 suspended blue spheres that independently move up and down, reflecting the dynamics of the market.
MarketSite is the public face of NASDAQ, the U.S.'s largest electronic stock exchange. Serving as the epicenter for NASDAQ news, launches and events, MarketSite creates a physical experience for an otherwise virtual marketplace. Part giant billboard, part TV studio, the seven-story Times Square building mixes real-time market data displays with programmable LED lighting, creating buzz for hosting a listed company or launching an IPO.
Rabobank has grown from a 19th-Century Dutch farming cooperative to a global retail and investment bank and the largest agricultural investment bank in the U.S. The bank invests in wind farms and alternative energy as part of its socially and environmentally sustainable business practices. Gensler designed the company's San Francisco offices to reflect this environmental stewardship, carefully choosing sustainable materials such as floors rescued from a former walnut orchard. The office layout is open and transparent in keeping with the company's egalitarian culture.
Since its organization in 1979, TradeLink has traded securities, futures, options, and commodities. Gensler partnered with TradeLink to design a headquarters that evokes a cargo vessel, embodying the trading aspect of the company's business. Like the interior of a cargo vessel, the project's spatial configuration is modular and changes frequently; there is no drywall in the whole project. The container-like spaces can be reconfigured to create entryways, common areas, and corridors, giving TradeLink the flexibility to meet changing business needs.
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, 3 PNC Plaza will 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 a 180-key hotel, 30 residential units, and 360,000 square feet of office and retail at the street level. The building will be LEED® Certified.
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.
Those looking for a sophisticated social experience in Boston can find it at the Foundation Lounge in the Hotel Commonwealth. Simple, modern elements are formed from rich materials such as zebrawood, leather and polished marble, creating a subtle and elegant space. These textures, colors and patterns are highlighted by integrated light sources. The design balances opportunities to see and be seen with intimate, relaxing spaces.
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 gardens juxtaposed with a traditional stone façade give The Ritz-Carlton Dubai a desert oasis feel while reflecting the Ritz's longstanding tradition of Western luxury. A full-height atrium, sunken garden, spa, restaurants, bars and retail shops connect the 341 guest rooms and 124 executive serviced apartments to the developer's signature luxury apartment building comprising 323 one-to-four-bed units. A waterfall in the entrance courtyard and several shaded terrace areas create a relaxing ambiance.
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 is designing the new 54-story, 874-room J.W. Marriott hotel, which, along with a Ritz-Carlton boutique hotel and residential condominiums, will be the visual anchor for the larger six-block entertainment district in the heart of downtown Los Angeles known as L.A. Live! Adjacent to the Staples Center, the project will create a new level of dynamism and urban living-playing options in Los Angeles, living up to its billing as "Times Square-West."
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. A 2,000-key hotel, 825,000-square-foot convention center will include restaurants, bars, retail and a Canyon Ranch spa. A large outdoor amphitheater and marina will offer additional diversions, as well as a water taxi service to downtown D.C.
Gensler redesigned the client's headquarters, which are located in several Washington D.C. buildings, to accommodate its current needs and plan for future growth. Office plans are standardized to create maximum flexibility, while view corridors were opened up to brighten the space. Gensler's warm color palette enlivens the headquarters while complementing existing interior elements and the client's signature red branding.
Gensler designed an addition to an existing facility for Aether Systems, a leader in the wireless industry. In addition to the core architecture, which includes a data center, network operation center, and office space, the facility has a front-of-house signature space that will communicate the Aether brand. The 40,000-square-foot data center and network operation center are 24/7 facilities with strict operational requirements.
Technical highlights:
—N+1 redundancy for mechanical and electrical systems
—Data center equipment areas on a 24" raised floor
—Three 2000Kw generators and fuel storage on site provide a back-up power source
Fannie Mae's commitment to sustainable design is expressed in its new Maryland data center, which is the first mission critical facility to achieve LEED® certification. Located on a 31-acre greenfield site, the building supports the previous contingency data center operations and emerging technologies. The 250,000-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. Gensler designed the new building to fit into the surrounding residential community.
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. The design nestles the 56,000-square-foot data center into landscaped earthen berms, creating 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. The visible architecture will be limited to the entrance lobby and office space that enjoy natural daylight and other sustainable design features.
Technical highlights:
—Tier III data center with N+1 redundancy
—Modular sizing of mechanical and electrical systems support incremental growth
A joint venture between Tatweer, a member of Dubai Holding, the New York Mercantile Exchange and the Oman Investment Fund, the DME commenced trading in June 2007 and is the Middle East's first energy futures exchange listing the Oman Crude Oil Futures Contract. Located in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), the DME's double-height trading floor represents an innovative hybrid design incorporating open communication between traders and electronic trading. The central feature is a large video media wall that forms the background for live TV broadcasts.
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.
Block 37
Located in the heart of Chicago's Loop, Block 37 will feature signature retail, entertainment and dining offerings; a state-of-the-art transit station providing service to and from Chicago's O'Hare and Midway airports; 440,000 square feet of office space; a ground-level television broadcasting studio for CBS; and a planned future residential and/or hotel tower(s). Gensler's design for the destination location is characterized by transparent and reflective materials that will engage and enhance the streetscape of the surrounding business, theater and civic districts, and in so doing, create a financially successful project for developer Joseph Freed & Associates LLC.
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 is Executive Architect for the development of MGM MIRAGE® CityCenter™, the largest private development in the United States. With 18 million square feet of building footprint on 76 acres of land, CityCenter will be a sophisticated, cosmopolitan hub on The Strip, distinguished by world-class design. Gensler is representing the owner's interests in the leadership and coordination of all aspects of design, programming, construction documentation, construction administration, design of common areas, and infrastructure above and below grade.
Gensler is developing the master plan for the new 100-acre Oakland A's baseball stadium complex. Set amidst a new 750,000-square-foot retail and entertainment center, this new ballpark village will establish a precedent in both modern stadium design and the creation of mixed-use urban infill in a suburban setting. Sixty acres of mid- to high-density residential development will be located adjacent to the village, accommodating 3,500 units in a lush, Central Park-like environment.
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; and an automated transit system will circumnavigate the district's perimeter.
By creating five new districts in central Shanghai, Gensler's Nan Jing Road West Master Plan will preserve older neighborhoods while making way for modernization. The 400,000-square-meter development program set out in the plan will modernize the prestigious western third of Nan Jing Road, restore it as Shanghai's main shopping street and preserve elements of the "Shanghai style" that made the city famous.
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.
Baker Botts moved its London office into a historic building protected by English Heritage, but with a Gensler design that incorporates the latest technology and lifestyle features expected in large law offices today. Thirty-seven private offices, each designed to accommodate two lawyers, are designed for maximum flexibility and efficient use. An extensive contemporary art collection, carefully chosen from portfolios of British and American artists, enhances the elegance of the space and reflects the firm's international profile.
Brown Rudnick, a Boston-based law firm with an international practice, desired a bold workplace to attract new talent and solidify its brand in New York. Gensler created a new workplace on the entire 47th floor of 7 Times Square Tower, including a conference center, attorney offices, library, lunchroom and support spaces. Gensler incorporated clear glass for office fronts and conference rooms to foster teamwork and communicate a sense of openness and transparency. Brown Rudnick's signature red was used as a clear brand element throughout.
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.
Based on extensive planning studies, Dickstein Shapiro relocated to an existing 500,000-square-foot space that Gensler designed to accommodate future growth and work pattern changes. Secretarial and paralegal "flex-zones" allow legal teams to expand or contract based on their needs, as do the standardized attorney offices and furnishings. A dramatic, open stair that connects floors three through 12 fosters a collegial atmosphere and enhances circulation. A multipurpose room with electrically controlled Skyfold partitions and a full-service cafeteria facilitate social interaction among attorneys, staff and clients.
To help Jones Day establish an environment fostering interaction and accessibility between employees, Gensler conducted focus groups to understand the functional, aesthetic and cultural requirements of the firm's six-floor space. The resulting design enhances client service, employee engagement and attorney collegiality. To promote interaction, Gensler placed the lunchroom along the perimeter of the office and introduced a conference center joined by an interconnecting stair. The center's dramatic views serve to welcome clients, and a club-like lounge provides for entertaining, informal meetings, and educational and civic firm-sponsored events.
McDermott Will & Emery relocated its 150 lawyers to a flexible workspace that will accommodate expansion as the practice grows and evolves. Conference rooms range from six-seat caucus rooms to the large multifunction room with seating configurations from 24 to 75. All conference rooms, including a dedicated videoconference room, incorporate state-of-the-art audio-visual systems. Amenities and support include: kitchen, buffet food service areas, administrative support and a lounge/work area for visiting attorneys. The aesthetic is simple, modern and understated.
Nixon Peabody is the first U.S. law office to achieve LEED® certification. With one of the oldest environmental law practices in the country, the firm's sustainably designed office is closely aligned with its core values. The space is, as a managing partner said, "built on a foundation of light": its open, light-filled plan fosters collaboration and transparency. Nixon Peabody chose to implement a universal office size to create a more egalitarian space and reduce churn costs.
Because mentoring is critical to Seyfarth Shaw's culture of teamwork, Gensler designed each floor with a café and lounge space, promoting chance meetings and opportunities to convene. Gensler implemented universal office design to economize space and minimize cost while offering maximum flexibility. Modular workrooms simplify workflow and enhance operational efficiency for litigation and trial preparation. The International Interior Design Association (IIDA) named the relocated office among its prestigious 34th Annual Interior Design Competition winners.
Restaurateur Richard Sandoval looked to Gensler to build this moderately priced Mexican chain from the ground up, developing the name, logo and restaurant design. The chain will be rolled out across the United States, yet each restaurant will be branded and styled as a different destination. The name La Sandia, which means "watermelon" in Spanish, was chosen because of its prominence in Mexican artwork and the popular card game Loteria, which became a strong graphical tool in the restaurant's overall branding.
Wagamama, a U.K.-based international noodle restaurant, has arrived in the United States at Boston's historic Faneuil Hall. The restaurant is known for the quality of its food, speed, convenience and affordability. In keeping with Wagamama's international concept, the 4,600-square-foot restaurant is simple yet stylish and features an open kitchen and communal-style seating. This open plan showcases the fresh preparation of the food and accommodates quick seating and service.
One Thousand Steps was a mall-based shoe and accessories store designed by Gensler for PacSun. Named after a beach known only to locals located in Laguna, California, the store targeted men and women 20 to 25. One Thousand Steps offered an edited selection of denim friendly, fashion-forward merchandise within a modern and sophisticated store design featuring an innovative on-the-sales-floor storage system. An entirely new approach to mall retail, the concept, dubbed "Melrose to Mainstream" brought the boutique shopping experience to mall shoppers across the United States.
For its Northern California Resource Center, Allsteel sought to create a contextually relevant space where product is the focal point and sustainability is inherent to the design. By building fewer walls, using structure as finish, maximizing daylight, and thoughtfully choosing materials, Gensler expressed Allsteel's commitment to environmental preservation. The showroom's energy efficient air delivery system, with sophisticated climate controls, optimizes the showroom atmosphere. The furniture products showcase new innovations in sustainable materials, incorporate recycled content, and meet stringent indoor air quality requirements.
For Apple's first European flagship store, Gensler enhanced an interactive environment design that reinforces this lifestyle-driven brand. A structural glass staircase and bridge connect the ground floor where Apple's products are featured to the second-floor Genius Bar offering customer support. The second level also features a studio where customers interface with Apple's creative staff, an auditorium for presentations, and a children's alcove. Gensler's custom-designed "light ceiling" creates a sense of daylight through its tilted panes of hand etched semi-reflective glass.
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.
Forever 21's 30,000-square-foot San Francisco flagship mixes the hip and energetic vibe of its young customer base with a historic Beaux Arts structure to achieve a unique atmosphere to showcase its trend-driven fashions. Gensler preserved the building's historic elements and added new retail features to maximize capacity and generate interest through three floors of space. Custom chandeliers hang from the original coffered ceiling, greeting shoppers as they enter a two-story rotunda. New escalators enliven the space with large-scale graphics, and vibrant lighting illuminates adjacent walls.
In the spirit of HBO's tagline "It's not TV, it's HBO," the new HBO store is a bold and unique brand experience, imaginatively designed utilizing a mere sliver of well-placed real estate in HBO's existing lobby. HBO and Gensler set out to raise the bar for a retail experience in the same way HBO sets the standard for unconventional programming, where the emphasis is on the visit and the brand as much as the purchase.
Designed for a technology-savvy clientele that makes a lifestyle out of connectivity and community, the Helio store promotes discovery, sharing and social networking through its interactive setting. "Pods" where customers can browse, learn and purchase surround a central gathering lounge for entertainment and meeting. Customers come for the products and stay for the experience.
PacSun, a surf and skate apparel retailer, sought to reinvent its stores with a flexible kit-of-parts that could be implemented in ground-up concepts and renovations. A signature element of Gensler's design is the iconic Koa Wood half-pipe entry that evokes the board sport focus of the merchandise. Mannequin-lined runways guide customers to the t-shirt rotunda in the middle of the store, and an internally illuminated footwear wall draws them to the rear. PacSun has reported a direct, measurable increase in sales.
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.
XanGo is the first company to market a premium mangosteen beverage to consumers worldwide. In support of XanGo's venture into the Japanese market, Gensler designed the company's first flagship studio. In addition to designing one floor of office space, Gensler has helped create a new retail and education/entertainment-driven showroom that embodies the creativity and energy with which XanGo's product is branded. The curved forms of the space embody both the mangosteen fruit and the bottle in which its juice is packaged.
Capturing several major U.S. accounts led London-based advertising firm BBH to expand its New York office. BBH relocated and looked to Gensler to design new offices with a distinctive urban look and feel. The design team exposed the raw elements of the 1930s building, using existing brick to complement sophisticated furnishings and light fixtures. Teams work side-by-side at collaborative stations without partitions between staff members. This flexible approach allows team members to pull up a chair to join a work in progress.
Gensler's strategic master plan encouraged Hearst to consolidate its New York offices into a single headquarters tower on 57th Street. The study determined the workplace criteria and ideal planning guidelines for the new tower. Gensler served as Associate Architect to Foster + Partners on the tower's interiors and, in addition to programming and construction documentation, collaborated with Foster through schematic design and design development. Gensler was the lead consultant for the building's interior LEED® certification, and the designer and technical consultant for a broadcast studio, employee fitness center, data center, media lab and a digital photo studio.
With a new corporate presence in Asia, Mary Kay sought to establish a strong brand identity in its Chinese headquarters. Gensler offered Mary Kay a layout system that allows the cosmetic company to expand its office step-by-step, accommodating growth in an emerging market. Inspired by the shape of a rose petal, the lobby's ceiling and wall are one continuous curve that envelops visitors upon entry. Open workspaces, still uncommon in China, maximize natural light and collaboration.
Transparent news reporting is essential to the success of media companies such as The New York Times Company. The Times' new building is a reflection of the newspaper's evolution within this context. Located in the tower's all-glass podium, the newsrooms are closer to the public and engage the streetscape with the energy of breaking news. Gensler designed the tower's energy-efficient interior spaces to be light and open, fostering collaboration among staff. Automatic lighting and shading maximize daylight; and the sustainable materials selected for furniture and finishes further promote a healthy office environment.
Nihon L'Oreal's relocation, which coincided with its 10th anniversary in Japan, provided an opportunity to address the complex and rapidly changing structure of the company. Looking to strengthen its brand, instill pride in its employees, and use its workplace as a recruiting tool, L'Oreal asked Gensler to capture the firm's many brands in the design. Gensler's narrative concept allows L'Oreal employees to point to their surroundings to tell the story of their company. "Café L'Oreal," a meeting place, encourages inter-brand communication and enhances the working environment.
Ricoh Sales sought to improve its workplace to support communication between its workers and their clients, embodying the company's message to "create, share, and think as one." This sales stronghold for approximately 600 workers in Jyosai area is the first project for Ricoh's Workplace Division.
Located in the heart of the Dallas Arts District, Studios 1019 are two photography studios that Gensler refreshed to optimize functionality and allow the client to expand her services to include corporate parties and weddings. With high ceilings, skylights, and full-height windows, the space is characterized by natural light and openness. Gensler also updated the studio's work environment by designing an open kitchen and dining area, conference room, wardrobe room, makeup area, full bath, utility room and secure storage.
As the third largest fitness club operator in the United States, Town Sports International (TSI) recently relocated its corporate headquarters to Eighth Avenue in New York City. Gensler created a flexible, transparent and actively branded workplace setting for TSI's staff and executives. Replacing the original height perimeter windows and maintaining a 14-foot ceiling height reduced heat loads on the building's mechanical system. Sustainable materials and flexible elements such as movable glass walls were used throughout the project.
This cutting-edge advertising agency wanted a workplace that would signal it had grown out of its start-up phase and had arrived as an industry player. Gensler's design inspires creativity and captures the playful wit and memorable subtlety of Venables' award-winning advertising. The primarily open office includes transitional spaces designed to refresh the senses and cleanse the mental palate; spaces for gathering and trading ideas; and quiet corners for reflection. An interior stair, known as the "Tower of Power," displays the company's numerous advertising awards.
WPP Group, one of the world's leading communications companies, came to Gensler to design the consolidation of its Seattle-based agencies. The project brings six WPP companies under one roof, optimizing its real estate efficiency and strengthening its brand identity. Each floor plan is organized with a central spine containing private offices and support spaces. The open space along the perimeter accommodates future market-driven growth or reduction of the individual companies.
Slated for completion in the spring of 2009, this new data center will provide a 60,000-square-foot facility in structural precast concrete on a spread footing foundation with precast skin. The raised-floor area will be supported by a system-plus-system (2N) mechanical and electrical infrastructure with an N+1 generator plant. Support areas include HVAC, generator, switchgear and chiller rooms, UPS and UPS battery rooms, cooling towers, product uncrating/storage, two berth loading docks and a 4,000-square-foot administrative area.
When Austin-Bergstrom Air Force Base became a public international airport, Gensler designers made full use of the 4,600 acres, including a 25-gate terminal with sustainable features such as natural light and night storage of cool air. The Marketplace, the heart of the terminal, brings together cafes, restaurants, stores and live entertainment to create a lively venue for Austin-area musicians.
oneworld® alliance airlines Qantas, Cathay Pacific and British Airways teamed together in creating oneworld Lounge, an oasis for business and first-class passengers within Los Angeles International Airport's Tom Bradley International Terminal. By employing materials including limestone, wood slatted screens and sea grass-embedded resin panels, designers created an atmosphere reminiscent of an outdoor space within the airport's deepest interior. The opening of the lounge dovetails with Qantas' introduction of a fleet of Airbus 380s and will offer amenities including a VIP room, computer banks, showers and a full-service bar.
4-1-Where is a full service facilities management solution that Gensler operates, maintains and updates for our clients. Unlike many systems, 4-1-Where is cost-effective, simple and meets the needs of an ever-changing environment. For more information about 4-1-Where, check out www.41where.com. If you'd like to contact someone directly about this service, please call Christi Van Maanen at 608.796.4371 or email christi_vanmaanen@gensler.com.
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.
In the age of hoteling and telecommuting, why come to work? The client's answer is simple: to connect with colleagues in person, so they can sustain an environment of transformation, innovation and collaboration—core elements of their culture. The design of the space focuses on reinforcing the strong geometry of the building, with the large building core preserved as a unifying element. Curved collaboration zones break the rigidity of the work environment and create unique spaces for idea exchange and innovation.
Joni and Friends is an international nonprofit organization ministering to the disabled. Inspired by founder Joni Eareckson Tada’s own powerful vision and biography, the center’s new headquarters is a celebration of accessibility and Christian faith. The building’s sculptural ramp—an accessibility solution and symbol for life’s journey—and the chapel it surrounds serve as informal meeting spaces for a workplace that supports collaboration and spiritual reflection. Visual obstructions for employees and visitors in wheelchairs are minimized through low partition work stations and transparent guardrails. Spare, elegant colors and materials evoking the surrounding chaparral combine with floor-to-ceiling glazing to create a serene, soothing atmosphere.
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
REI'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 designed to meet LEED® Silver standards. 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.
After extensive analysis of Wilson's existing workplace, Gensler designed a new work environment that promotes spontaneous collaboration, communication and efficiency. With products creatively showcased throughout the office, a solid sense of branding is evident in the office. Graphics and product signage are used consistently in common areas and workspaces, reinforcing the company's unique identity.
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.