2017 Gensler Design Excellence Awards

The projects come in many forms: architecture, interiors, product design, planning, brand design and more. The regions’ picks are vetted by the firm’s design leaders. Then a shortlist of about 130 projects is critiqued by a jury of industry experts composed of architects, designers, entrepreneurs, developers, academics, brand leaders and editors from outside the firm. They deliberate over which projects to select for recognition and then share their insights during a live broadcast to the entire firm.

In 2017, the pool of entries embodied the many ways that Gensler uses design to improve the human experience — a reflection of the program’s theme, “Transforming Everyday Experiences.” The entries were sorted into three categories that align with Gensler’s community, lifestyle and workplace sectors. Within these categories, the submissions were also separated so that large, complex projects — as well as smaller, easier-to-resolve ones — received equal attention. Completed projects were reviewed separately from those that are not yet built.

The work they reviewed varied widely in location and scale, including L'Oréal USA Hudson Yards, an interactive workplace with specialty spaces designed to engage with consumers; Hotel Chaco, an innovative boutique hotel in Albuquerque that interprets the rich heritage of New Mexico in a contemporary aesthetic; and El Bosque Transitional Shelter for Senior Citizens, a new residential building in Costa Rica with dignified spaces for leisure and hospitality.

Twenty other projects received awards, highlighting a broad cross-section of the firm’s work. These projects included Cadillac House, an immersive brand experience in New York that merges physical with digital, and hospitality with theater; E. & J. Gallo Winery Dry Creek Building, a purpose-driven office building in Modesto, California, that respects the company’s belief in preserving and enhancing the land; and Westminster Provisional Parliament, a proposal for rehousing components of the UK Parliament temporarily within a prefabricated structure over the River Thames.

One of the longstanding traditions of the GDEA program is a special category called the Margo Award, named for respected Gensler leader Margo Grant Walsh, who is now retired. The award recognizes projects that achieve design excellence through cost-effective solutions, often through the inventive use of off-the-shelf components.

This year’s Margo Award was given to Base Camp, the new temporary office for Gensler London. Economical and modular, the design is an adaptive space for creatives — reconfigurable to accommodate a variety of functions, from single-use to multiple activities occurring all at once. It’s a space to collaborate, exhibit our work and host events.

A Texas-based initiative was selected to receive the Social Impact Award, which celebrates design excellence for projects that give back to our communities. It recognized Houston ByDesign, a series of design studies intended to stimulate conversations about Houston’s physical environment. The series focuses on the impact designers and urban thinkers can have locally and beyond, featuring work by people who are asking “What if?” or “How can we make a difference?” ByDesign’s projects range from master plans to buildings, and from international competitions to informal studies.