Dialogue Blog

6 Considerations for Transitioning Back to School

Here are some tools and considerations to guide academic institutions in transitioning back to campus.

May 28, 2020 | By Patricia Nobre, Joey Favaloro, Mark Thaler, Richard Jacob

Why Today’s Universities Need to Be Global Institutions

How can universities mitigate a potential downturn? The answer is transnational education.

May 28, 2020 | By Sunny Velikova

Reports of the Death of the Workplace Have Been Greatly Exaggerated

For millions of office workers around the world, work has been consciously uncoupled from its usual location for the first time. No doubt, the offices we return to will evolve along with changes in business priorities and cultural norms.

May 27, 2020 | By Randy Howder

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.

May 27, 2020 | By Kathleen Carey

Insights From Gensler’s U.S. Work From Home Survey 2020

The Gensler Research Institute published its U.S. Work from Home Survey 2020, featuring findings on the experience of working from home during the pandemic and insights on how this experience is influencing people’s expectations for the future workplace.

May 26, 2020 | By Andy Cohen, Diane Hoskins

Most People Want to Return to the Office — But They Expect Changes

We’ve proven we can easily and efficiently work from home. But we can’t effectively do all work activities from home. In fact, the workplace may be more important than ever moving forward.

May 22, 2020 | By Janet Pogue McLaurin

How Companies Can Support Work-From-Home Best Practices in the Long Term

As businesses eye a strategic and safe return to the office, here are the operational mechanisms they should consider in order to support partial working from home on a permanent basis.

May 22, 2020 | By Dieter Kursietis

Transitioning to a Virtual World of Health & Wellness

The landscape of virtual care has leapt ahead a decade or more amidst the current health crisis, and it is creating a massive shift in operations at a time when a historic financial decline has hit the healthcare industry.

May 22, 2020 | By Randy Guillot, Tama Duffy Day

A Day in the Life: Going Back to School in China

Here’s what we've learned from our colleagues in Gensler’s Shanghai office about school reopenings in China.

May 19, 2020 | By Tony Lu, Freck Qin, Amber Sun

Is the Virtual Fan Experience Ready for the Big Game?

Until fans are allowed back inside sports arenas, what can we do now to enhance the fan experience virtually?

May 18, 2020 | By Jonathan Emmett, Greg Gallimore

Resilient Cities Rely on Resilient Food Systems

The pandemic is disrupting already fragile food supply chains. To ensure resilience and food security for the world’s population, we can put intelligent design to work by rethinking urban agriculture within the built environment.

May 15, 2020 | By Nayan Parekh, JinXi Ng

The Future of Dining Out

Here are six considerations for restaurant and bar owners in an era of new consumer expectations.

May 14, 2020 | By Siobhan Barry

What Going Back to School Might Look Like

What does the future of education look like, and what should schools be doing now to prepare?

May 14, 2020 | By Mark Thaler, Patricia Nobre

How to Design Hospital-Ready Hotels

The current pandemic has proven that hotels can play a variety of essential roles in times of crisis.

May 13, 2020 | By Randy Guillot, Steven R. Upchurch

It’s Time to Rethink Signage and Wayfinding for Transportation Hubs

Fast forward to when you’re ready to take your next flight. When that day comes, what’s it going to take to make you feel safe?

May 11, 2020 | By Beth Ready, Ty Osbaugh

Designing Government Offices for the Post-COVID Era

As we prepare to return to the workplace, whenever that happens, what should public agencies and departments be doing to prepare a workplace that can help people feel healthy?

May 11, 2020 | By Robert A. Peck, Peter Barsuk

Will There Be a Climate Change Vaccine?

We didn’t have a warning of the COVID-19 crisis, but we do have a warning for the climate crisis up ahead.

May 11, 2020 | By Diane Hoskins

Defining the Future of Our Cities: Five Areas of Opportunity for a Post-Pandemic World

We are witnessing global disruption at an unprecedented scale. But if we can live though disruptions as a new normal, then we may emerge even stronger and more resilient as a community.

May 08, 2020 | By Oliver Schaper

Tips for Signage and Wayfinding in a Post-COVID-19 World

Signage and wayfinding graphics can introduce healthy practices and help people feel at ease in this time of uncertainty.

May 06, 2020 | By Amy Bixler, Molly Murphy, Jill Wittnebel, Javier Cortes

As Data Demand Surges, It’s Time to Invest in IT Infrastructure

The demand for data spurred by this health crisis has highlighted the need to invest in critical facilities infrastructure.

May 06, 2020 | By Jackson Metcalf

How Will Hotels Rebound from COVID-19?

Seven key considerations that will change how we travel and experience hotels.

May 05, 2020 | By Tom Ito

Giving Back Has Never Been More Important

In this time of crisis, we need to double down on our community impact efforts.

May 05, 2020 | By Kathleen Carey

An Architecture of Optimism for a Post-Pandemic Society

Whether it’s new buildings that are about to be designed or existing architecture that now needs to be re-imagined, in many ways this is a time for an architecture of optimism – one that promotes wellness and celebrates life.

May 04, 2020 | By Jordan Goldstein

How Can We Make Sense of Climate Improvements Amidst a Health Crisis?

The reduction in emissions we've witnessed during this pandemic may signal a clear call for action on climate crisis.

May 04, 2020 | By Nermine Zahran

An Air Filtration Primer for Building Owners and Developers

We're looking at the key changes we'll need to make to the built environment in order to provide spaces where people can feel safe as they return to work.

April 30, 2020 | By Darrel Fullbright, Duncan Lyons, Sheryl Schulze, Ian Zapata

Sharing Our Work-From-Home Experience in Asia Pacific and the Middle East

After Gensler staff members in the Asia Pacific and Middle East region began working from home, we launched a survey to assess our people’s well-being, challenges, and overall experiences — here are key findings.

April 30, 2020 | By Nayan Parekh

For Law Firms, COVID-19 Has Accelerated the Inevitable

The overnight shift to working from home is upending the model of how much real estate law firms really need.

April 29, 2020 | By Timothy Bromiley, Carlos Posada

New Opportunities for Mobility Amid COVID-19

Our wholesale shift in live-work-play behaviors as a result of COVID-19 have provided us an opportunity to rebalance public rights-of-way.

April 29, 2020 | By Dylan Jones, Maurice Reid

Will the Work From Home Trend Impact Residential Design?

As working from home gains acceptance and more roles are fulfilled in remote settings, the fundamental principles of workplace design will still apply — just in a residential context.

April 28, 2020 | By Tom Steidl, Brooks Howell

What We Can Learn From the Energy Industry About Safety in the New Workplace

The energy industry's safety practices can be adopted by many to cultivate a culture that prioritizes safety and wellness.

April 28, 2020 | By Lillian Giering, Vince Flickinger

How Should Office Buildings Change in a Post-Pandemic World?

For those who design and develop office buildings around the world, the current crisis has introduced a new challenge: Once we are cleared to return to the office, how can we convince people that the buildings they use are healthy and safe?

April 23, 2020 | By Ben Tranel

Planning for a Post-COVID Return to Campus

We're reflecting on the factors education leaders should consider in planning a return to school post-COVID-19, and what we can learn from this remote learning experience to create a resilient hybrid campus.

April 23, 2020 | By Meghan Webster, Elaine Lockwood Bean

A Day in the Life: Going Back to Work in China

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, in China we are slowly experiencing the next step: going back to work. Here's what we learned during our return to Gensler's Beijing office.

April 22, 2020 | By Francois Chimier

Brand Experiences Must Be Human Experiences

We’re telling different stories today — stories of isolation, but also of newfound connection.

April 22, 2020 | By Janice Cavaliere, Joel Fariss

Could Low-Tech Design Prevent Climate Change-Influenced Pandemics?

We’ve known for a while that climate can play a role in the spread of viruses. How should we think about the coronavirus pandemic in the context of climate change? Is there anything we can do differently in the built environment to fight these two urgent problems?

April 21, 2020 | By Anthony Brower

Now Is the Time to Reinvest in Local Materials

COVID-19 could force us to improve construction's supply chain impact.

April 20, 2020 | By Lance Hosey, Rives Taylor

10 Considerations for Transitioning Back to Work in a Post-COVID-19 World

Real estate and facilities teams are challenged with implementing new ways of working that balance business continuity with employee safety.

April 20, 2020 | By Cindy Coleman, Don Ricker, Jane Stull

Understanding the Touchless Workplace

In the workplace, digital solutions and experience platforms have improved guest check-in, conference room booking, company communications, wayfinding, food and beverage service, and more. But touch-based solutions start to look like health risks in light of the recent pandemic and other viral threats.

April 15, 2020 | By Lee Billington

Creating Data-Rich Workplaces to Detect and Curb Viral Transmission

Workplaces can be optimized to collect population data — like thermal screening — so agencies and companies can make better informed decisions to protect the wellness of their people.

April 15, 2020 | By James Wynn, Richard Tyson

Redesigning Mixed-Use Environments for a Post-Pandemic World

What will mixed-use and public places look like after this pandemic?

April 15, 2020 | By J.F. Finn, III, Duncan Paterson

Taking Care of Each Other in the Post-Pandemic Open Office

Once we return to the office, we’ll need to transpose our newly discovered sense of community accountability back into the workplace.

April 10, 2020 | By Brian Stromquist

How the Pandemic Can Lead to Better Public Meetings

Public meetings are the foundation of modern participatory democracy. So, what do we do when it’s dangerous or impossible to gather people in public places? How should governments respond now and in the future?

April 10, 2020 | By Robert A. Peck, Sumita Arora

Cities and the Public Health: Our New Challenge in Urban Planning

Dense cities remain our best bet for providing opportunities and connections — if they’re designed to support residents’ wellness.

April 08, 2020 | By Andre Brumfield, Carlos Cubillos

Fostering Casual Collisions — and Creativity — in a Virtual World

Some of the best ideas at work happen spontaneously — in the lunch line or waiting for the elevator — rather than in a conference room. Now that many of us have shifted to working 100% virtually, how do we continue to create opportunities for casual collisions that spark ideas and random discussions?

April 07, 2020 | By Natalie Engels

Graduation Goes Digital for the Class of 2020

How can we use digital technologies to push events like virtual graduation ceremonies beyond traditional thinking?

April 06, 2020 | By Daniel Liss, David G. Broz

Re-Entry for Retailers: Returning to the Store

Retailers can start formulating a plan for re-entry that meets consumers' new expectations of the marketplace.

April 06, 2020 | By Aaron Birney, Lara Marrero

Using This Moment to Improve City Life

The current crisis raises serious questions that we’ll need to address before we get back to anything resembling normal: How well-suited are cities to a post COVID-19 world? How prepared are we to handle a health crisis in the future? And how can we use what we’re learning now to improve the quality of life in cities?

April 03, 2020 | By Nate Cherry

What Happens When We Return to the Workplace?

It’s not too early to start planning how we can return people to the workplace once the COVID-19 crisis ends.

April 03, 2020 | By Janet Pogue McLaurin

The Pandemic’s Lasting Effect on Our Healthcare System

After this crisis, we won’t return to business as usual. What should we consider as the new normal for healthcare systems?

April 02, 2020 | By Scot Latimer

Will Campus Life Translate to a Virtual Environment?

COVID-19 has forced us to embrace a new reality rooted exclusively in virtual interactions. While we reflect on how educational institutions’ responses are leading to a paradigm shift in the learning experience, how might campus life also translate to a virtual experience?

April 01, 2020 | By Chuck Rudalavage, Emily Fridman

Airports Are Facing a New Reality

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, we’re thinking about what airports can do to save the air travel industry and regain passenger trust.

March 31, 2020 | By Ty Osbaugh

Redefining Wellness in the Face of Pandemic

The COVID-19 crisis is causing us to redefine all our work around the concept of wellness and re-examine the importance of resilience.

March 30, 2020 | By Lance Hosey, Rives Taylor

How to Build Culture
in a Virtual World

As COVID-19 causes the world to rethink the communal workplace, for businesses it’s also a philosophical and emotional assault on company culture.

March 26, 2020 | By Cindy Coleman, Amanda Ramos

Digital and Virtual Connections Have Quickly Become a Brand’s Livelihood

In this time of social distancing, brands are finding new ways to authentically connect with their audiences through digital and virtual experiences.

March 25, 2020 | By Amy Bixler, Jill Wittnebel

Designing Healthcare for Surge Capacity

We need health and wellness systems that continue to give people more choice and we need those systems to flex and respond to pandemics like COVID-19.

March 23, 2020 | By Randy Guillot, James Crispino, Scot Latimer

Remote Working Offers an Opportunity to Experiment and Learn

As COVID-19 disrupts our lives, working from home is now a sudden reality. How can we apply the best practices and tools that make a corporate workplace effective and collaborative, and instead create a great work from home space and routine?

March 18, 2020 | By Janet Pogue McLaurin

We Are in the Midst of a Paradigm Shift for Higher Education

As we make short-term decisions to respond to the global pandemic, we will also have a long-term opportunity to reinvent the traditional university learning experience.

March 17, 2020 | By David G. Broz

Designing Office Building Lobbies to Respond to the Coronavirus

People spend up to one-third of their lives at work, many of them inside office buildings. If these buildings were proactively designed with features that could stem the spread of communicable disease, the wellness benefits for the general workforce could potentially be widespread.

March 13, 2020 | By J. Kevin Heinly

Design Forecast Denver: Shaping the Future of Our City

Gensler Denver hosted a discussion about challenges facing cities such as affordable housing, mobility, and climate change.

March 05, 2020 | By Adam Ambro

Envisioning a Future for USPS Real Estate

As the largest retailer in the nation, the United States Postal Service is uniquely positioned to shape the future of communities across America.

March 05, 2020 | By Stella Donovan, John Ferns, Eric Bieber

In the Face of the Coronavirus, Workplace Wellness is Key

Here are steps employers can take to keep workplaces safe and healthy.

March 05, 2020 | By Janet Pogue McLaurin, Tama Duffy Day

Future Cities, Future Buildings

Paradigm shifts in building design are accelerated when the ingredients for advanced solutions come together, and the Johnson Controls (JCI) Asia-Pacific Headquarters in Shanghai, China is a case study in designing and engineering super progressive environments.

March 02, 2020 | By Stephen Katz

Creating Meaningful Customer Relationships in the Midst of a Merger

A merger has a profound impact on the customer experience, but also provides an opportunity to re-focus on what is working for current customers and determine how best to target and serve new ones.

February 28, 2020 | By Ryan Cavanaugh

Design Forecast Charlotte: Designing for the Displaced

Gensler Charlotte hosted a discussion about critical issues of affordable housing and homelessness facing our community.

February 25, 2020 | By Kathleen Jordan, Brad Brogdon

Design Forecast Costa Rica: Shaping the Future of Cities Through the Human Experience

Gensler Costa Rica hosted a panel discussing how public-private partnerships can spur innovation, how buildings and districts are key components of successful cities, and more.

February 25, 2020 | By Christine Durman

Design Forecast Washington, D.C.: Resilience in Our Region

Gensler’s Washington, D.C. office hosted a hyperlocal conversation focused on what the resilience challenge means for the community, and possible solutions.

February 19, 2020 | By Theresa Sheils, Francisco Gonzalez

Experiential Design is Changing the Rules of the Workplace

Client insights from Gensler Morristown's panel discussion on workplace performance.

February 14, 2020 | By David Craig

Design Forecast Detroit: Shaping the Future of Cities

Gensler’s Detroit office hosted a discussion on urban innovations and their impact on the future of a mobile, connected, and inclusive Detroit.

February 11, 2020 | By John Waller

Flexible Workspace is on the Rise in the U.K.'s Corporate Sector

Gensler paired up with the British Council of Offices to find out what's driving the rise of flexible workspace in the U.K. corporate sector and explore questions regarding the future of these types of space solutions.

February 04, 2020 | By Alice Dubot, Chandkiran Nath

Design Forecast New York: Designing a Better World: Equitable and Actionable Solutions

Gensler’s New York office hosted a discussion on how we can build a better, more equitable city for future generations.

February 03, 2020 | By Lauren Adams, Amanda Ramos

Want Your Organization to be More Creative? Embrace these Four Workplace Strategies

Today, encouraging creativity is a must in every business, from law firms to banks to media companies. A creative culture can come from many factors — but the space you house it all in can be a huge amplifier of creativity.

January 28, 2020 | By Johnathan Sandler

Developing the World's Tallest Net Zero Timber Building with Sidewalk Labs

Working with Sidewalk Labs and a network of engineers, environmental specialists, and other partners, we have collectively spent the past year exploring timber’s potential impact on building design, manufacturing, and sustainability.

January 24, 2020 | By Steven Paynter

Gensler Design Forecast Tokyo: How to Win the Battle of Workstyle Transformation

Gensler’s Tokyo office hosted a workshop on how to create a smart and balanced workplace, and investing in the right amenities to attract and retain top talent.

January 15, 2020 | By Daichi Amano, Chie Matsushita

The Benefits of Inadvertent Knowledge Transfer

We often learn by overhearing our peers and experiencing the consequences of their behavior — positive, negative, and everything in between — in real time, in person. This is just as true for the workplace as it is for childhood education, and it is just as relevant for factual information as it is for life lessons.

January 15, 2020 | By Cheryl Duvall

Design Forecast Cascadia: The Future of Human Experience

Gensler’s Seattle, Portland, and Vancouver offices hosted a conversation on why human connection and experience will be the driving forces behind thriving communities.

January 14, 2020 | By Kristin Jensen, Jacob Simons, Tana Hall

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.

January 13, 2020 | By Santiago Rivera

Designing for Agile Teams Creates an Advantage in the War for Talent

A vast majority of executives agree that the future workforce will be structured in multidisciplinary project teams, rather than by job function. This requires a new workforce with a new set of skills — and new ways of working.

January 03, 2020 | By José Luis Sanchez-Concha

Design Forecast Newark: Designing Cities for People

Gensler’s New Jersey office hosted a panel discussion on topics ranging from social equity, to new modes of mobility, and the importance of placemaking in economic development.

December 20, 2019 | By Roger Smith

Design Forecast Newport Beach: Shaping the Future of Orange County

Gensler’s Newport Beach office hosted a panel discussion on topics ranging from mobility to interconnected communities, social impact, and climate change.

December 20, 2019 | By Kirstie Acevedo

Design Forecast Toronto: The Future of Cities

Gensler’s Toronto office hosted a series of presentations that showcased potential futures and near-term solutions for shaping the future of cities.

December 20, 2019 | By Filo Costa, Eric Ginsburg

Gensler Design Forecast Beijing: Shaping the Future of Cities

Gensler’s Beijing office hosted a panel discussion on topics ranging from social impact to connected cities.

December 19, 2019 | By Jerry Hung, Emma Chang

Inclusion by Design: Insights from Design Week Portland

During Design Week Portland, the local Gensler office engaged members of the community in a conversation about diversity, equity, and inclusion. We wanted to know: Where does design fail to address these topics? And how can we evolve our practices to build a better world?

December 19, 2019 | By Sun Joo Kim

Cal-Australia Dreamin'

Addressing the realities of climate change through aspirational policy.

December 13, 2019 | By Nermine Zahran, Anthony Brower

Design Forecast Dallas: People-Centered Workplaces Are Driving Connected, Resilient Cities

Gensler Dallas hosted a panel discussion exploring global trends in workplace and office building design, and how the human experience is the driving force behind more resilient, connected cities.

December 13, 2019 | By Cindy Simpson

Design Forecast Las Vegas: Shaping the Future of Work

Gensler Las Vegas hosted a conversation on topics such as top office amenities, branding and identity, and how balance and choice drive the most effective and engaged workplaces

December 12, 2019 | By Chris Dos Santos

Design Forecast La Crosse: The Future of Work

Gensler’s La Crosse office hosted a panel discussion on workplace trends, including tips for connecting a mobile workforce and managing change in the workplace.

December 10, 2019 | By Joan Meyers, Julie Henline

Schooling Kids in the Power of Design

Our long-standing partnership with City Year aims to transform educational spaces with heart for the next generation.

December 09, 2019 | By Beth Novitsky, Kathleen Carey

AI is Transforming Workplaces. What Does That Mean for Law Firms?

For law firms around the world, artificial intelligence could have seriously impactful possibilities that shape how legal services are delivered in the future, as well as what types of services lawyers could offer.

December 05, 2019 | By Christian Amolsch

Designing Intergenerational Communities

In partnership with the Milken Institute's Center for the Future of Aging, Gensler teams from Los Angeles and Washington, DC created speculative designs to show how multigenerational communities might be achieved in existing urban environments.

December 03, 2019 | By Stella Donovan, Laura Latham

Design Forecast Chicago: A New Vision for Growth & Optimism

Gensler Chicago hosted a conversation around formulating a collective vision for an economically thriving and growing city.

November 26, 2019 | By Andre Brumfield, Brian Vitale

Design Forecast Houston: Our Role in Our City’s Future Experience

Gensler Houston hosted a panel to discuss topics ranging from mobility, to climate change, and the future of livability in Houston.

November 25, 2019 | By Gerald Gehm

Singles’ Day: From Service to Experience Economy

What started as an informal celebration among Chinese university students has evolved into the single biggest shopping day worldwide — both online and off. How are traditional retailers and e-commerce behemoths in China using digital platforms and physical space to create authentic and lasting connections with consumers in the midst of these mind-boggling sales figures?

November 25, 2019 | By Richard Chang, Philip Handford

Design Forecast Philadelphia: Creating Innovative Workplaces to Attract (and Keep) the Best and the Brightest

Gensler Philadelphia hosted a panel on the future of workplace discussing key topics such as emerging technologies, talent competition, and the experience economy.

November 22, 2019 | By Linda Pileggi

Microsoft’s New U.K. Flagship: A Vibrant Community Hub

The tech company's first European flagship is more than just a place to shop or demo products — it’s a destination to engage with the local community and connect with all types of people — from gamers and students, to educators, families, and businesses.

November 21, 2019 | By Aaron Birney, Lara Marrero

Resilient Cities Begin With Resilient People

For over 15 years, Gensler's Denver office has supported some of the most vulnerable among us through their partnership with the non-profit organization Access Gallery, whose mission is to create a sense of community and nurture creativity among young adults with intellectual and physical disabilities in the greater Denver area.

November 18, 2019 | By Kathleen Carey

Design Forecast Singapore: Repositioning for Smart Cities

Gensler Singapore hosted a panel examining the impact that repositioning smart cities might have on a well-established, dense urban environments.

November 13, 2019 | By Angela Spathonis

Emotional Security in the Workplace

A new white paper from the Gensler Research Institute found that creating an environment where employees feel empowered to take risks, ask questions, pose new ideas, and fail can be more important than the design of the environment itself.

November 07, 2019 | By Stella Donovan, Jacob Simons, Joel Fariss

What’s Missing from the Latin American Retail Experience?

Local culture is key when it comes to designing 24/7 retail-based destinations.

November 06, 2019 | By Beatriz De Paz

Impact by Design: Gensler’s Latest Data on Climate Impact and Our Pledge to the Future

Every year, as part of our commitment to the Architecture 2030 challenge, we honor our pledge to share data that documents our efforts to design carbon neutral buildings. This is the fourth annual report in our Impact by Design series on climate action.

October 28, 2019 | By Diane Hoskins, Andy Cohen

Design Forecast Bay Area: Shaping the Future of Connected Cities

Gensler's San Francisco Bay Area offices hosted a panel discussion on new strategies being used to shape the future of the Bay Area and the responsibilities we have to this unique landscape.

October 23, 2019 | By Natalie Engels

Design Forecast Charlotte: Tech Talent in the Queen City

Gensler Charlotte hosted a discussion about the future of work and how the it will shape human experience in the city, covering topics such as the tech gender gap and the war for talent.

October 18, 2019 | By Holly Christian

Embracing Constraints to Build a More Sustainable Shanghai

The composed elegance of the 60-story One Museum Place in Shanghai's Jing'an District tells a story of breathtaking skill and ingenuity amidst complex urban limitations.

October 18, 2019 | By Russell Gilchrist

Design Forecast Phoenix: A New Workplace Narrative

Gensler Phoenix partnered with our local ULI chapter to bring the local community together to discuss new challenges in workplace design, from coworking to change management.

October 14, 2019 | By Rory Carder

Building an Interconnected Future in Downtown Dallas

To shape people’s experience of a city, we have to start by shaping one block, one intersection, or one individual building. At 400 Record Street in Dallas, a repositioning project presented an opportunity to reactivate the street level around one decades-old building and reengage with the pedestrians of downtown.

October 10, 2019 | By Ian Zapata

The Future of Climate Policy Starts in Our Cities

Densely populated urban areas are epicenters for greenhouse gas emissions, but the policies made by local legislatures are informing global solutions to climate change.

October 08, 2019 | By Rose DiSarno, Oliver Schaper

Celebrating 20 Years of Design Excellence

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Gensler Design Excellence Awards, a program that seeks to elevate the firm’s design quality and celebrate design excellence in our projects.

October 03, 2019 | By Jean Anderson, Jeff Barber

Hospitals in an Age of Climate Change: Can They Survive the Storm?

In the face of extreme weather events, we must plan and design healthcare facilities that can assure quality care even when other basic infrastructure fails.

September 26, 2019 | By Jeff Saad, Michael Schur, Kelly Westwood

Doubling Down on Our Commitment to Resilience

With hundreds of millions of square feet of buildings and interior design projects in the pipeline annually, we believe our impact and role in reducing energy demand is critical. That's why we're announcing the Gensler Cities Climate Challenge with an ambitious goal for the entire design industry: eliminate all greenhouse gases associated with the built environment.

September 20, 2019 | By Diane Hoskins

A 'What If?' Manifesto: Improving the Bus Experience

In the United States, it’s almost a point of faith that the bus riding experience will be subpar. While that may not be everyone’s daily bus reality, it raises the question: “what if this were different?”

September 17, 2019 | By David Zaidain

The Inertia of Home

For tenants, moving is expensive, unsettling, and time-consuming. For owners, high turnover is costly because of repairs and maintenance between occupancy periods and — even worse — entire months of lost rent. How do we embrace long-term thinking and create an “inertia of home” that entices people to truly come to rest?

September 12, 2019 | By Phil Esocoff

Designing for All Learners: 5 Myths Debunked

Instead of designing to the mythical “average learner” and adapting to accommodate outliers, it’s time we flip the model and design for all learners.

September 10, 2019 | By Patricia Nobre, Erin Cubbison, Allison Bulgart

Enlivening a Dead Block in San Jose

The first block of North San Pedro Street was an otherwise active center of San Jose, California — save for an uninviting 3-story parking garage that created an unavoidable dead zone. With the city's support, Gensler helped repurpose the ground floor of the structure to accommodate micro-retail spaces for local business owners, enliven the community, and encourage a renewed pedestrian experience.

September 05, 2019 | By Kathleen Carey

Decades of Commitment to Our Communities

In 1996, the Orange County Rescue Mission partnered with Gensler to convert a former military facility into Village of Hope — a shelter and service provider for homeless families. More than twenty years later, the partnership continues to grow.

August 29, 2019 | By Kathleen Carey

Transforming Walmart’s Home Office in Bentonville

The world’s largest retailer’s new home office delivers more than just top amenities and appealing aesthetics. It’s a connected and sustainable campus where associates are inspired to do their best work.

August 27, 2019 | By Cindy Simpson, Douglas C. Gensler

Healthcare Providers Take Note: Every Space is a Healthy Workspace

As more organizations provide active, healthy workplaces, healthcare providers are following suit and discovering how a well-performing workplace can be beneficial for everyone from physicians and administrators, to the patients themselves.

August 26, 2019 | By Jeff Saad, Cindy Coleman, Michael Schur

Creating Unique Experiences a Focus at Latin America Hotel and Resort Expansion Summit

With an ever-expanding blur between travel for business or leisure, the most successful travel destinations will be those who develop distinct experiences rooted in a sense of place.

August 22, 2019 | By Javier Cortes

In Africa, Your Solar Panels Don’t Mean Squat

The idea of sustainability, as we currently understand it, just doesn’t hold for the developing world.

August 16, 2019 | By Brenden Jackson

A Case for Imperfect Cities: Greater Impact with Purposeful Chaos
非理性城市开发：寻求效率和影响力的平衡

As we consider the future of cities, we must also be cognizant of the forces of change that will impact how we design and plan for connectivity between people.
在我们思考城市的未来时，我们还必须认识到影响我们如何设计和规划人与人之间联系的变革性力量。

August 09, 2019 | By Peter Weingarten

Creating an Organizational Appetite for Sustainable Design

As people’s attitudes towards sustainability evolve alongside new modes of working, there is a real need for organizations to be intentional about how they implement any new changes.

August 06, 2019 | By Joelle Jach

Designing for Each Learner Through Digital Experience

As we design spaces for learning it is imperative that we integrate digital experiences into them thoughtfully; to connect people, accommodating different learners, and with future-proofing in mind.

August 01, 2019 | By Meghan Webster, Michael Shaub, Patricia Nobre

Growing Biopharma Trend: Putting Science on Display

In the highly competitive research landscape centered around New Jersey, biopharmaceutical companies are aligning these values by moving the laboratory front and center, and putting their science on display.

July 25, 2019 | By Brenda Nyce-Taylor

Did Your Building Grow With BOMA 2017 Office?

Developers, landlords, and building owners have been adding balconies, patios, and other outdoor amenities to keep up with tenant demand, but the trend is creating some confusion and leasing challenges.

July 23, 2019 | By Mitch Luehring, Jane Stull

Why Smart Cities Might Not Perform as Well as 'Dumb' Ones

University of Toronto civil and mineral engineering professor Shoshanna Saxe articulates some serious concerns about the bureaucratic and logistical ramifications of smart cities — ones that should give us all pause.

July 17, 2019 | By Brenden Jackson

10 Key Design Interventions for a Healthier, Happier, and More Productive Workplace

Healthy, happier people are more productive, more likely to collaborate, and more likely to innovate in ways that benefit the bottom line.

July 12, 2019 | By Kirsten Ritchie

Can Machines Design?

Instead of debating about whether machines can design, why don’t we ask: What if they could? How might architecture change if computers take over the process entirely?

July 10, 2019 | By Lance Hosey

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.

July 02, 2019 | By Kathleen Carey

Managing for Creativity

As our world becomes more urbanized and connected, a company’s competitiveness and speed determine success. To keep up with the robust pace and dynamics of our environment, every organization needs to creatively innovate while delivering value to the bottom line.

June 28, 2019 | By Diane Hoskins

Designing the Unexpected

Gensler San Francisco gathered a diverse panel of experts to consider the questions we should all be asking ourselves: does city life make us happy? Are our anxiety levels increasing? Are we starving for more human connection?

June 27, 2019 | By Barry Bourbon

Building a More Inclusive University Environment

Small universities are having a hard time providing physical space for their diverse student populations. These campuses are often landlocked and lacking the enormous budgets of some of their larger counterparts. This raises the question: how can smaller universities support inclusion at a small scale while yielding a large impact?

June 25, 2019 | By Joey Favaloro

Designing Informal Learning Environments with 826 National

Today, educating the next generation isn’t just happening within schools, but in informal learning environments as well. 826 National, a not-for-profit creative writing and tutoring center network serving underprivileged youth ages 6 through 18, is one organization that is taking a novel look at designing learning spaces.

June 20, 2019 | By Kathleen Carey

Every Place Tells a Story of Belonging

A sense of belonging is essential to our ability to thrive, but today’s rapidly changing social landscape poses new obstacles for civic and cultural institutions in cities around the world. How can we seek to understand these obstacles and work to erase the boundaries between people?

June 19, 2019 | By Allison Marshall, Patricia Nobre, Bevin Savage-Yamazaki

Community Engagement in Motion

For projects big and small, cracking the code of community outreach and public engagement has been a longstanding challenge. But the projects that are most successful are often the ones that invest time in the community and build something greater together.

June 17, 2019 | By Elaine Asal, Joshua Barthel

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.

June 12, 2019 | By Kathleen Carey

Designing a New Platform for Uber's Vision of Aerial Rideshare

The vision of aerial ridesharing presented at the 2019 Uber Elevate conference this week is a bold one that promises to shift the way people experience cities — and one that will be a reality much sooner than most people think.

June 12, 2019 | By Tim Hudson

Inclusive Design Should Never Exclude Style

Products that are ADA compliant are typically well-engineered, but frequently bulky, poorly styled, and visually dispiriting — and millwork pulls are no exception.

June 03, 2019 | By Scott Star

California's New Gold Standard for Net Zero Developments

The latest innovation from the state that gave us blue jeans, popsicles, personal computers, skateboards, and the Internet has arrived: California's new Zero Net Energy code revisions, which will drive the creation of perhaps the greatest concentration of energy efficient buildings on the planet.

May 24, 2019 | By Anthony Brower

Amenities in the Age of Experience

In a market saturated with experiences, our clients across all industries are constantly reinventing themselves to meet the fast and furious demands. Read our newest POV to learn more about how unique and thoughtful amenities can allow brands to compete on the world stage.

May 21, 2019 | By Amy Ridley

Creating Space for Mental Health Conversations in the Workplace

Work can be both a source of — and a relief from — the stresses of modern life.

May 17, 2019 | By Cheryl Duvall

The Battle for the Right of Way

Gensler's David Zaidain speaks with Dan Emerine of the DC Department of Transportation and Maggie Gendron of Lime to learn more about how technology is affecting our transportation systems and urban infrastructure.

May 07, 2019 | By David Zaidain

A Shattering Development for Glass-and-Steel Skyscrapers

If New York Mayor Bill de Blasio has his way, the Big Apple will go in an entirely different direction with its skyscrapers. As part of his city’s OneNYC2050 initiative — a sort of Green New Deal for America’s largest metropolis — de Blasio is proposing to make it much tougher to build the kinds of glass-and-steel towers that have become synonymous with the city.

May 02, 2019 | By Brenden Jackson, Anthony Brower

Just a Government Town? Think Again.

High-profile tech companies and consumer brands are relocating to Washington, DC. And they’re not coming for the usual Washington reason: to be near the Federal government.

April 29, 2019 | By Robert A. Peck

The Power of Narrative in an Era of Evolving Legacies

With boundaries between media and technology constantly blurring, it is easy for media companies to lose sight of both their own legacy and the narrative they seek to craft. At the WTOP headquarters in Washington, D.C., however, a clear, purposeful celebration and expression of brand legacy stems this tide. When a story of this nature is told through workplace design, the results can be extremely powerful not only for employees, but also curious guests or clients.

April 25, 2019 | By Sumita Arora

Designing a More Flexible, Healthy, and Expressive Legal Office

When it comes to recruitment and retention at law offices, it’s no longer enough just to have a workplace that functions well. A workplace has to capture and enhance a firm’s culture through a variety of design approaches.

April 23, 2019 | By Steve Martin

Urbanism and the Pursuit of Happiness

Cities are magnets for those who seek better jobs, opportunities, and more diverse communities. But does city life make us happy? We look at some of the basic building blocks for a better, happier city.

April 18, 2019 | By Claudia Carol

Houston's ByDesign Group Explores Local Ideas for the Future of Cities

A group of young architects and designers at Gensler Houston are proposing big, bold ideas for the future of their city and beyond.

April 16, 2019 | By Jong Kim

A How-to for Creative Placemaking and Tactical Urbanism

Pop-up, temporary, and semi-permanent public space projects have evolved past being mere experiments. They now form a substantial part of urban business operations that governments and developers are championing, but until recently policies around temporary use of the urban realm have been murky and difficult to navigate.

April 11, 2019 | By Carolyn Sponza

How Open Is Too Open for Your Office?

It’s time to end the debate about whether offices should be an open or closed environment. New data from Gensler's 2019 U.S. Workplace Survey provides answers to how open the open office should be.

April 01, 2019 | By Diane Hoskins

It's Time for Office Amenities to Get to Work

As the office landscape continues to evolve and companies grant their employees more freedom and choice to work where they like (whether inside or outside the office), Gensler's research shows that the amenities with the greatest impact on effectiveness and experience are those that directly support the work needs of individual employees and their teams.

March 22, 2019 | By Amanda Carroll

10 Tips for Success in an Open Plan

Transitioning to an open plan doesn’t have to be intimidating. In fact, if it’s an office layout where you have a range of spaces to support focus and collaboration, you'll likely be even be more effective and productive.

March 20, 2019 | By Michael Chappell

The Open Office Isn't Dead (Redux)

It’s time for a new narrative around work and the workplace — one that reflects the realities of the needs and desires of today’s workers and the diversity of the modern workforce.

March 19, 2019 | By Janet Pogue McLaurin

Why Not-For-Profits Deserve a Utopian Workplace

Not-for-profit employees are four times more likely to be motivated by mission than the average employee in another sector. Our passion for supporting these workers led us to embark on a thought experiment: What would a utopia look like if it were designed for the not-for-profit employee and their individual sense of purpose?

March 07, 2019 | By Amanda Ramos, Santiago Rivera

The Third Lane: Rethinking Street Design for the 21st Century

What does the explosive growth of shared electric scooters tell us about the changing dynamics of city life? And how can we better shape the city of tomorrow to respond to new modes of mobility?

February 26, 2019 | By Dylan Jones

Keep it Moving: New Technologies at the Airport Curbside

The disruptive impact that Transportation Network Companies and app-based rides have had on airport curbsides has been significant. While companies such as Uber, Lyft, and Wingz are becoming more commonplace, many airports have been caught off guard. Now they’re scrambling to catch up.

February 18, 2019 | By Tim Hudson

From Smart Buildings to Intelligent Placemaking

Data and AI are being invisibly woven into everything around us. As we move towards an intelligence economy where data is a raw material, we have an opportunity to take a new approach to design.

February 14, 2019 | By Richard Tyson

Polycentric Cities: The Future of Sustainable Urban Growth

As we approach a new normal for urban density, the cities that are best positioned for the future are evolving along a decentralized, multi-nodal model.

February 12, 2019

On Climate Change and Hope

Despite rising carbon dioxide emissions, we can still tackle global warming.

January 23, 2019 | By Rives Taylor, Brenden Jackson

Climate Reprogramming

Façade design is one example where performance, technology, and code changes come together to positively impact the environment; and our first targets in this endeavor should be existing building stock, where a vast majority of our energy consumption originates.

January 10, 2019 | By Anthony Brower, Wyatt Frantom

From Railroads to Electric Scooters: How Mobility Shapes the City of Today and Tomorrow

From GPS-enabled electric scooters, to driverless cars, and even aerial ride-share services, disruptive mobility is on the rise. With the explosion of these services, it’s critical that we build a common language of understanding as we shape a vision for the cities of tomorrow.

December 19, 2018 | By Dylan Jones

Creating a Beautiful, Energy-Efficient Building for Harbin Bank

Harbin Bank’s new headquarters in Beijing is both aesthetically pleasing and high performing. By maximizing natural daylight and energy efficiency, while minimizing harmful particulates, the building serves as a climate-responsive solution and an elegant example for the city.

December 17, 2018 | By Russell Gilchrist

What the Math Behind Climate Change Is Telling Us

Global carbon emissions reached a record high in 2018. As the math of climate action suggests a growing gap between countries’ action pledges and their measures to limit global warming, the question for our industry becomes: how do you approach sustainability design in a world where arresting climate change no longer seems possible?

December 14, 2018 | By Brenden Jackson

Winning the War for Talent: Could Your Workplace be Doing More?

With the labor shortage in the U.S. expected to continue for years, leading organizations aren’t waiting for their next lease renewal to enhance their physical workplace. Instead, they’re exploring ways to leverage it as an asset for attracting and retaining talent.

December 13, 2018 | By Julie Henline

Treat Us Like a Client: Three Things I’d Do Differently in Designing Our New Workplace

When planning a new office in La Crosse, Wisconsin, Gensler became the client, rather than the design team. A year after moving into the space, Managing Director Joan Meyers reflects on three things she would have done differently during the planning process.

December 06, 2018 | By Joan Meyers