We believe in being part of the solution by creating positive change.
As stewards of our local communities, we are focused on how we can create a better world through the power of design. Across every Gensler office our people donate their time, skills, and passion to their communities through volunteer service and pro bono and low bono work. We believe that when we put people first, we make the world a better place.
FOUR COMMUNITY IMPACT THEMES
The Next Generation
Through partnerships with programs such as ACE Mentor, NOMA, and City Year, we’re supporting organizations that foster the well-being of children and the education and training of students for careers in architecture and design.
Health & Wellness
Gensler is dedicated to building healthy places that blend functionality and comfort and improve measurable health outcomes for all communities.
Housing & Homelessness
At Gensler, we are committed to finding and creating housing solutions for communities facing the crises of homelessness, displacement, and lack of workforce housing.
The Environment
Leveraging our expertise in design resilience, Gensler helps communities develop and realize innovative and sustainable solutions to mitigate the effects of climate change and combat its root causes.
EXPLORE RELATED STORIES
In The Media
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Chicago Magazine
Gensler’s Thoughtful, Trauma-Informed Design Approach To Transform an Old Motel Into the Haven on Lincoln
The Haven on Lincoln is a pilot program that provides housing to the city’s homeless. Gensler’s Sean McGuire says, “This project is the kind of project that makes people want to study architecture.”
In The Media
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Urbanize LA
Friendship Foundation Campus Will Provide Opportunities for All Abilities To Learn, Explore, and Find Their Place
Global Co-Chair Andy Cohen described the Gensler-designed campus, now under construction in Redondo Beach, as “a place of learning and growth, and transformation in a safe and inclusive environment.”
Blog
Rethinking Housing: Innovative Solutions to California’s Homelessness Crisis
DignityMoves Founder and CEO Elizabeth Funk discusses why new thinking is necessary to help solve the housing and homelessness crisis.
In The Media
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Fast Company
How To Mitigate Extreme Heat in Vulnerable Communities
Gensler designed an adaptable shading structure that can be configured to fit different kinds of public spaces.
In The Media
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USGBC
USGBC Spotlighted the 2023 Greenbuild Legacy Project — Gensler’s Roots to Success Initiative
Gensler’s initiative at Kelly Miller Middle School in D.C. creates positive impact by supporting the school’s student urban farm and refreshing its cafeteria with food sustainability education, artwork, and more.
In The Media
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Office Snapshots
A Look Inside Gensler’s Design of First Love Foundation Offices
The First Love Foundation offices in London is driven by the client’s goal to offer comfort and warmth to those in need through a nurturing workplace ‘home.’
Blog
How Augmented Reality Can Drive More Engaged Communities
New and emerging technologies are bringing even more opportunity to enhance the ways communities engage with the cities around them.
In The Media
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Fast Company
DignityMoves Is Building Temporary Housing for Homeless People in Partnership with Gensler
The nonprofit DignityMoves is creating a community of tiny cabins on a former parking lot in San Francisco in partnership with Gensler.
In The Media
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Building Design+Construction
The HAY Center Will Create a College-Like Campus for Foster Youth Transiting to Adulthood
Designed by Gensler to feel like a college campus, The Houston Alumni and Youth Center will create 50 new residential units to house youth leaving foster care.
In The Media
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IIDA
REACH LA’s Vibrant Space, Designed by Gensler, Sets New Standards for the LGBTQ+ Community
REACH LA is a non-profit organization that engages and empowers LGBTQ+ people of color and their communities.
Blog
Designing for Social Impact in Our Communities
The Gensler Community Impact Awards celebrate the remarkable achievements of teams across the firm in pro bono, low bono, mentoring, and research projects that align with the Gensler Model of Community Impact.
Blog
A Holistic Approach to Community Impact in Washington, D.C.
Our Gensler DC Community Impact group has developed a key partnership with Kelly Miller Middle School in Ward 7 to provide holistic support to the students and their families.
In The Media
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The Architect’s Newspaper
Gensler Brings Trauma-Informed Design to the Forefront at Rose Haven Shelter
Inclusivity, dignity, and stress-reduction were key factors in the firm’s design of Portland's Rose Haven day shelter and community center.
Blog
The Housing Crisis: Finding Hope in Innovation
The pandemic exacerbating the housing crisis in many U.S. cities. For residential architects and designers to make a difference, we must embrace solutions like modular construction, adaptive reuse, and progressive legislation.
In The Media
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Business Insider
DignityMoves’ New Village of Prefab Homes Aims to Ease the Homelessness Crisis
The nonprofit’s community of tiny, colorful homes, designed by Gensler, will shelter unhoused people.
Blog
A YMCA Facility Reconceptualized to Prioritize Wellness and Community
As a facility that had to be reconceptualized and designed during the pandemic, the Holcomb Family YMCA in Spring, Texas is designed to help members maintain healthy lifestyles and stay connected with the community.
Blog
How D.C.’s Community of Hope Family Health and Birth Center Supports Black Women
Birth centers can level the playing field for low-income women and women of color. Community of Hope offers health services regardless of one’s ability to pay.
Blog
Designing a Black-Owned Gallery to Elevate Artists of Color
At Gallery 90220, a new Black-owned art space in South L.A., Gensler's designers leveraged the power of design to literally create a platform to share the stories of artists of color.
Blog
Community Impact Is a Key Strategy in Returning to the Office
Community impact has the potential for positive, long-lasting benefits on our workforce and our culture.
Blog
Giving Back Has Never Been More Important
In this time of crisis, we need to double down on our community impact efforts.
Blog
Blank Canvas: Using Art to Create Community in the Workplace
Whether it is a curated art program, an emerging artists installation, or a dedicated gallery, organizations are finding unique ways to use art as a tool to inspire social change and connect with the community.
Blog
A Multi-Stakeholder Approach to Tackling Rural Waste Management
On Isla Chira, a remote island in Costa Rica's Gulf of Nicoya, a recent groundbreaking showcases Gensler’s commitment to both the environment and making significant local impact.
Blog
Designing Informal Learning Environments with 826 National
826 National, a not-for-profit creative writing and tutoring center network serving underprivileged youth, is taking a novel look at designing learning spaces.
Blog
Community Engagement in Motion
The projects that are most successful are often the ones that invest time in the community and build something greater together.
Blog
Community Impact Puts People First
At Gensler, we put people first. Nowhere does that shine through stronger than in our strategic model for Community Impact.
EXPLORE RELATED PROJECTS
The Haven on Lincoln
Gensler is transforming a 1960s motel in Chicago into short-term housing for individuals experiencing homelessness utilizing a trauma-informed design lens.
The Lark Inn
In partnership with Larkin Street Youth Services, AEC Cares, and local industry peers, Gensler redesigned Lark Inn, a shelter for homeless youth in S.F.
North Side Housing and Supportive Services
Designed by Gensler, North Side Housing and Supportive Services (NSHSS) provides a much-needed place of shelter for unhoused men in Chicago’s Roger’s Park.
First Love Foundation
Gensler designed a safe space for First Love Foundation, a support, advice, and advocacy charity, to continue its mission of tackling poverty in Tower Hamlets.
Lawndale Gateway Project
The Lawndale Gateway Project is comprised of a multi-functional fun learning exploratory space serving the North and South Lawndale neighborhoods of Chicago.
Sustainable Shade Structures
This research initiative focuses on the relationship between extreme heat and vulnerable communities and creating actionable steps to offset climate injustice.
Right to Dream Ghana
Gensler partnered with Right to Dream to elevate the charity's existing academic and sports facilities in Ghana to be the best academy of its kind in Africa.
Club Ideate
Gensler Atlanta partnered with the Boys and Girls Club of Metro Atlanta to develop the next generation of diverse creatives through immersive design summer camp
Roots to Success
Roots to Success is a pro bono initiative that connects students at Kelly Miller Middle School in D.C. with fresh produce and sustainable food education.
U.S.VETS Houston Third Ward
U.S.VETS Houston partnered with Gensler on a new development that provides veterans with a place to reintegrate into civilian life and call home.
Friendship Foundation Campus
Gensler’s Andy Cohen describes how the Friendship Foundation will transform the lives of people with special needs, their families, volunteers, and society.
Rose Haven Community Day Shelter
Gensler donated its services to design Rose Haven’s new 10,500-square-foot space, a facility three times the size of its previous footprint, that comprises its day shelter and community center.
Community of Hope Family Health and Birth Center
Community of Hope joined forces with Gensler to expand and reposition its headquarters, community center, and Washington, D.C.’s only freestanding birth center.
Holcomb Family YMCA
Gensler reimagined the design of the Holcomb Family YMCA from a traditional building to a facility with flexible indoor-outdoor spaces where members can gather and exercise together.
Debbie Allen Dance Academy
Gensler partnered with the Debbie Allen Dance Academy to design its new Shonda Rhimes Performing Arts Center, a top-tier arts venue that supports the nonprofit organization’s commitment to expanding the reach of dance and theater arts to enrich the lives of young dancers.
Chapter 510 – Swan’s Market
Chapter 510 turned to Gensler again to design its new Writing Center located in downtown Oakland’s Swan’s Market.
Treasured Vessels Foundation
Gensler Dallas has partnered with Treasured Vessels Foundation to design the U.S.’s first clinically therapeutic program for domestic sex trafficking survivors.
SPARK: A STEAM Activity Book
Gensler, a global architecture and design firm, believes in the transformational power of design. As part of the Gensler Give Back initiative, volunteers from our Texas offices created SPARK, an activity book for 4th – 8th graders.
Access Gallery
In 2020, Gensler Denver partnered with Access Gallery to redesign its 1,500-square-foot studio and gallery, resulting in a more functional, flexible, and accessible space.
REACH LA
Gensler Los Angeles partnered with REACH LA to design a vibrant and welcoming space where the nonprofit organization can engage and empower LGBTQ+ people of color through creative arts, health and wellness, personal development, and social enterprise.
SAY Sí Community Arts Center
SAY Sí (San Antonio Youth Yes) ignites the creative power of young people as forces of positive change, empowers marginalized communities by investing in and elevating the value of artists, and advances cultural education.
Design for Distancing
Baltimore's Design for Distancing challenge called on the city's design and public health communities to scope, develop, and implement interventions to reactivate its main streets and arts districts.
Plywood Place
Plywood Place was designed to support startups doing good in a multi-purpose and co-working space inside a 10,000-sq. ft former warehouse that was designed with the Plywood community in mind.
Lupita’s Corner
Gensler helped transform a local neighborhood market into a community hub that helps address food inequity in a bright, modern space with nutritious selections.
Kartma
Gensler worked pro bono with the Downtown Streets Team to design a memorable, bold graphic wrap for Kartma’s tuk tuk, creating a sunny, iconic beacon for the DST brand and its mission.
Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice
Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice (NACH) is the only children’s community-based hospice providing support for babies, children, and young people with...
CBI Art Wall
With the recent popularity of the Light Rail in Charlotte, CBI saw an opportunity to give back to the community by activating its 100-foot white brick wall with local art by Osiris Rain.
MOMENT at San Pedro Square
MOMENT at San Pedro Square repurposed the ground floor of a parking garage into retail spaces for local entrepreneurs and parking spaces into a parklet.
City Year: Bethune Elementary School
The concept for City Year’s 100% donation-based mentoring room in a high-need Detroit school is based around the tool that is often used in education to...
Harold Washington Children’s Library
The newly renovated 26,000-square-foot Thomas Hughes Children’s Library was designed as part of a master plan for the Chicago Public Library system to help...
Impact Hub Baltimore
Part innovation lab, part coworking space and part civic forum, Impact Hub Baltimore brings together mission-driven innovators, entrepreneurs and...
826 Valencia Tenderloin Center
Not-for-profit 826 Valencia’s latest venture is the retail component of this mixed-use learning space that supports the creative writing skills of...
Project Color Corps
Project Color Corps is a nonprofit that seeks to create positive change by painting inner city schools with colors and patterns that impart messages of...
826CHI
In moving to a bigger, brighter space down the street from its previous home, nonprofit tutoring and writing center 826CHI sought to not only expand, but...
Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity
To accommodate the growing number of families in need of housing services, Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity (TCHFH), one of the organization’s leading...
Goodwill Pop-Up Shop
Responding to a Goodwill request for volunteers, Gensler turned the opportunity into an occasion to address some of the challenges facing Goodwill’s stores...
PARKSPACE
Located across four city parks, PARKSPACE art installations are designed to help residents social distance while enjoying the beauty of the outdoors.
Center on Halsted
Center on Halsted is the Midwest’s most comprehensive community center dedicated to advancing community and securing the health and well-being of local lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people.
Partnering for Impact
By establishing a network with more than 260 community partner organizations, Gensler amplifies its outreach activities, creating new opportunities to foster relationships with like-minded partners.
For additional information or questions, please email .