Sustainability & Resilience
Revealing practical design solutions and ideas for reducing our carbon impact and leading the building industry toward net zero.
LATEST REPORTS & ARTICLES
Research
Global Climate Action Survey 2024
Gensler surveyed people around the world about their experiences with climate-related issues, such as extreme weather, and perceptions of whether their community is built to withstand the impacts of climate change.
Sustainability
Climate Action Through Design
Our Climate Action Through Design Report presents solutions for transforming the built environment to achieve a net zero carbon impact across our portfolio and the broader design industry.
Blog
Four Big Takeaways From Gensler’s New Global Climate Action Survey
What is the state of climate change perceptions in 2024?
Blog
Severe Weather: The New Design Imperative
Buildings must be designed to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public — and our infrastructure must be designed to withstand these extreme climatic events.
Blog
Laying the Groundwork for Climate Preparedness
Gensler’s Resilience Preparedness Framework develops concrete actions that designers can take to address climate shifts.
Research
The Carbon Footprint of Work
We quantified the true carbon cost of office work in multiple scenarios and cities to understand the best ways to reduce total associated carbon emissions.
Blog
4 Powerful Approaches for Putting Climate Goals to Action
We’ve identified four approaches that put organizations on a credible path to achieving climate goals.
Research
Sustainable Shade Structures
We researched how to offset the effects of extreme heat in at-risk communities through community co-creation of shading structures.
Blog
When the Commute Is Worth the Carbon
The Gensler Research Institute has consistently studied the pandemic's impact on work, revealing a persistent concern for organizations and cities: the commute.
Insight
COP28
Gensler attended COP28 in Dubai to work together with government leaders, partners, and clients to inspire impactful sustainability solutions and climate action strategies for a resilient future.
Research
Designing the 2030 Sustainable Office
We developed a framework that stakeholders can use to meet vital embodied and operational carbon targets and achieve sustainable offices by 2030.
Blog
Embodied Carbon Is Where Tech Must Tighten Its Belt
As buildings get more efficient and power grids get cleaner, projects are looking to where they can further reduce their carbon footprint to meet their net zero commitments.
Blog
5 Strategies for Heat Resilient Design
Here are five strategies we need to embrace to create heat resilient design solutions for the coming years.
Blog
A Material Approach to Lowering Carbon and Changing the Building Industry
Co-Firm Managing Principal Jordan Goldstein talks about Gensler’s Product Sustainability (GPS) Standards and what it means for the industry.
Blog
Unlocking the Value of ESG
Buildings that can show environmental responsibility and positive impacts in our community will have a competitive advantage among tenants and investors.
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Research
Global Climate Action Survey 2023
We surveyed residents in eight countries to understand how they are experiencing extreme weather and the steps they are willing to take to combat climate change.
Blog
Extreme Weather Demands an Immediate Design Response
Gensler’s Climate Action Survey 2023 explores how design can address the rapidly accelerating climate crisis.
Podcast
How is Decarbonization Changing Architecture and Design?
We define embodied carbon vs. operating carbon, address net carbon impact, discuss how we approach resilience with clients, and weigh the impact of carbon...
Blog
The Climate Crisis Is Also a Well-Being Crisis
Climate change is emerging as a profound global concern and appears to have an outsize impact on the mental health and well-being of younger generations.
Blog
Borealis: The Opportunity for Building Integrated Carbon Capture to Reverse the Carbon Footprint of Buildings
If applied across Gensler’s global portfolio, direct air capture technologies could remove 14.5 million tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere.
Research
Designing for Lower Carbon Concrete in Data Center Constructions
The construction boom of data centers raises questions about their carbon footprint. We convened industry experts to understand how we can reduce the embodied carbon of data centers with lower carbon concrete.
Blog
Why It’s Time to Apply Regenerative Systems Design on a Global Scale
Regenerative architecture offers a more sustainable path forward.
Blog
The Biogenic Materials Revolution Has Begun and Mass Timber Is Leading the Way
Biogenic materials will be crucial in our efforts to address climate change while also meeting the vast global demand for new buildings and spaces.
Blog
How Biophilia, Biomimicry, and Bioclimatic Strategies Will Transform the Future of Design
By incorporating biophilic, bioclimatic, and biomimicry design strategies, we can raise the bar for what acting sustainably means.
Blog
Back to Basics: 5 Strategies to Approach Net Zero Energy
Tenants are demanding healthy, energy-efficient buildings with measurable data to support ESG and talent retention goals. Here are five strategies to approach net zero energy.
Blog
Trends to Watch Shaping the Future of ESG
Gensler’s Climate Action & Sustainability leaders discuss the trends and challenges they are seeing as clients lay out ESG goals and how those trends affect the way we design.
Blog
A Framework for Fostering Climate Resilience and Preparedness in the Built Environment
Within Gensler's U.S. Climate Action Survey 2022, we introduce a new roadmap for climate action through design that is anchored by four pillars: environment, economy, experience, and equity.
Blog
Cultivating a Food Resilient Future
Our research on food resilience started out with the focus on rethinking urban agriculture, identifying 12 opportunity areas where urban farms can be integrated into our cities.
Blog
The Next Phase for Climate Action: An Embodied Carbon Revolution
We are working to influence the building industry by sparking demand for sustainable building materials to improve the resilience of global supply chains.
Blog
How Inclusive Design Supports Resilience and Climate Preparedness
We have an opportunity to design places that are inclusive, promote resilience, and make preparedness more accessible in the face of climate change events.
Blog
Redefining Resilient Spaces Through Smart Material Selection
We discuss with Armstrong World Industries how we can decrease embodied carbon levels in the built environment simply by making smart choices about materials.
Research
Urban Strategies for Coastal Resilience
Addressing sea level rise and major storms threats in vulnerable cities.
FEATURED SUSTAINABILITY PROJECTS
Torre Judicial
This new government workplace building is designed to maximize energy efficiency, performance, and occupant well-being while enhancing community health.
Avon Lake Renewable Master Plan
A decommissioned power plant was converted into a community amenity through land remediation and economic development strategies that breathe new life into the stranded asset.
Harvey B. Milk Terminal 1 Renovation
Reductions in energy, carbon, and waste impacts makes SFO’s Harvey B. Milk Terminal a sustainable benchmark for future airports by setting new standards through its Triple Zero Challenge.
SUSTAINABILITY & RESILIENCE NEWS
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Reuters
2024Reuters’ The Switch interviewed Design Resilience Leader Rives Taylor about how architecture is adapting to climate change and solutions for locales experiencing extreme heat and flooding. Watch the episode. -
ZAWYA
2024ZAWYA interviewed Gensler’s Andy Cohen at COP28 in Dubai. Cohen discussed reshaping cities with net zero buildings, designing 20-minute cities, and how Gensler is converting older office buildings into housing and various other uses. -
Fast Company
2023Fast Company highlighted Gensler’s efforts to research how to mitigate extreme heat in vulnerable communities. Gensler designed an adaptable shading structure that can be configured to fit different public spaces.
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