Education

We partner with schools, colleges, and universities to design engaging, flexible, and resilient learning environments, drawing on our global research and multidisciplinary expertise to shape experiences that empower all students.
The academic building of tomorrow will be even more radically different as young learners come to expect more of their learning environments when they reach the university level.
—Deborah Shepley, Education leader
Client Services
Across the entire learning spectrum, we develop strategies and solutions that are purposeful, engaging, effective, sustainable, and future-proof.

Strategic Services

Our interdisciplinary and integrated team of architects, planners, designers, and strategists partners with clients to develop engagement strategies, educational planning, campus planning, and education design projects. Our expertise includes academic workplace design, space analytics, brand design, and change management.

Campus Planning

We collaborate with clients and communities to develop high-quality environments that respond to the aspirations and needs of users. Our campus planning approach is guided by research and an understanding of what makes an attractive place while responding to site-specific conditions and addressing sustainability.

Programming and Pre-Design

We generate innovative solutions that affect real transformation to support our clients’ visions and long-term strategies. We gather input from stakeholders to articulate a vision, define goals, build consensus, overlay the formative qualities of the site, and measure against budgets.

Architecture

Architecture is always in service to its institution and can elevate experience. Rather than employ a particular style or off-the-shelf solution, we create designs that respond to programs that sharpen, and even recast, the longstanding purpose of a place.

Interior Design

Our interior designers work collaboratively and strategically to deliver innovation, quality, and sustainable performance across various space typologies. We specify presentations and approvals throughout the process to ensure each design satisfies and reflects our clients’ unique missions and visions.

FF&E

As the world’s largest specifier of furniture, we understand that it must serve current and future generations and be adaptable to changing functions. Our specification process is centered around defining the space to select furniture that fits both the project and overall aesthetic.

Brand Design and Environmental Graphics

We integrate graphic design, signage and wayfinding, and architectural placemaking to create spaces with meaning and purpose. Gensler’s Brand Design practice provides specialist designers, strategists, and programmers to create a seamless user experience and unified brand impression.

Sustainability

We integrate sustainable design across our projects and all facets of service offerings to reduce energy and enhance wellness, performance, and quality of life. Teaming with our engineering partners, our holistic approach to sustainability focuses on net-zero, passive strategies, efficient systems, and renewable generation.

INSIGHTS
EDUCATION DESIGN TRENDS TO WATCH

The purpose of the campus is shifting to include more spaces that support students outside the classroom.

With increased choices for learning and working, the purpose of the physical campus is shifting to focus on building community — supporting relationships, motivation, and emotional well-being. Leading institutions are redesigning and investing in spaces that maximize student experiences, promote belonging, shed unneeded buildings, and reduce carbon footprints.

 

Hybrid is here to stay.

While the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic may be with us for a long time, students and educators have demonstrated incredible resilience. The swift adoption and continued improvement of hybrid learning and working highlight the need to support a wide variety of needs and preferences. To attract students and retain employees, institutions need a range of space types that support participation.

 

Education pathways are expanding to prepare students for careers that don’t require degrees.

The cost of higher education and the growing need for high-tech skills that don’t require a degree are causing many students to reconsider college. High schools and community colleges are responding by providing programs and places for diverse learners to design their educational journeys that prepare them for meaningful careers.

 
Hybrid models are strongly preferred by students, educators, and staff. Campus communities seek a range of participation options for learning, teaching, and working.
Gensler Education Engagement Index 2022
Graphic showing student, educator, and staff preference for hybrid participation.
A person walking in front of a large white building.
Design Forecast 2023
10 Meta Trends That Will Transform the Future of Cities
Design Forecast identifies the trends and design strategies that are shaping the future of the human experience and the built environment. We provide strategic advice, research, and projects from all 29 of Gensler's practices to help clients prepare for transformational times.
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EDUCATION DESIGN LEADERSHIP
NEWS