Gensler Design Exchange

Like every other industry, AEC (Architecture, Engineering, and Construction) felt the extreme volatility of the past 24 months. Supply chain issues, shipping challenges, skilled labor shortages, and rapidly fluctuating costs have led to both trials and opportunities in leading and executing projects across the built environment. While we don’t have a crystal ball, we do have lessons learned that we can share to help set expectations and create transparency in the procurement process as we enter the new year. In this episode of the Gensler Design Exchange podcast, we convene a group of project management and technical experts to discuss their experiences over the past two years and offer their insights and suggestions for advising and guiding teams and clients to make the design and construction process as smooth as possible in 2022.

Since the start of the pandemic, safety, wellness, and sustainability have become just as much of a requirement for passengers at airports as speed and efficiency. As the holiday travel season intensifies into the end of 2021, what can airport travelers expect now and into 2022? In this episode of the Gensler Design Exchange, four Gensler aviation industry experts explore how the pandemic has introduced airport design innovations in health, wellness, technology, and equity.

At Gensler, giving is a year-round affair. Impacting our communities and investing in the education of our youth are critical components of our mission to create equitable and resilient cities. That's why we are committed to creating positive, enduring change through social responsibility and civic engagement in the communities where we live, work, and play. This week on the Gensler Design Exchange podcast, Meredith Flanagan, Gensler's Washington DC office community impact leader, sits down with Theresa Sheils, co-managing director of Gensler DC, to discuss the office's community impact initiatives and reflect on how the Gensler DC (gDC) team has given back over the last year.

As society emerges from a time of uncertainty and isolation, cultural institutions are leading the way because they intuitively understand that their mission-driven work is part of something greater. Rather than taking a passive role as collectors and exhibitors, museums can and should become dynamic places of learning, engagement, and inspiration that showcase the rich items of our past, while expanding their collections for and making themselves more accessible to diverse audiences of the future. This week on the Gensler Design Exchange, Bevin Savage-Yamazaki who leads our Foundations, Associations & Organizations global practice, as well our culture and museums practice in Gensler’s New York office, sits down with Rachel Goslins, the director of Smithsonian’s historic Arts + Industries Building (AIB), America’s first National Museum, to explore the future of the museum experience.  In this episode, we’ll be exploring how museums are adapting to changing visitor expectations and an increasingly digita

Through the power of design and a focus on the human experience, we can transform our workplaces, buildings, and ground planes into hubs for connection and engagement that extend beyond walls into the surrounding city and community. There are environmental, social, and economic benefits to creating multi-use environments that are connected to the community with shared public spaces — something that people value now more than ever because of the pandemic. In today’s episode of the Gensler Design Exchange, Chad Parker, Principal and Managing Director of Gensler Raleigh, sits down with Shawn Seaman, President of Hoffman & Associates, to discuss the power of design and what it means to lead great development, empower our communities, and rise together.

By connecting organizations' rich histories, employee's personal beliefs, and aspirations for continued meaningful action, brands can foster belonging and community based on shared values. Organizations that invest in spaces that go beyond four walls and function to express shared values and celebrate who they are and, more importantly, what they believe in, will ultimately strengthen their culture and bring their brand to life. In today's episode, we're re-broadcasting a panel discussion that Gensler hosted in partnership with AIGA for this year's DC Design Week. The panel convenes diverse voices across history-rich organizations like WMATA, Armstrong World Industries, and US Army War College, to discuss the increasingly important role brand plays in building culture, storytelling, and getting people back to shared spaces.

To celebrate this month and the contributions of our Hispanic and Latinx colleagues, we invited three architects, designers, and employees from across Gensler offices and a variety of backgrounds on the Gensler Design Exchange for this special episode. Lisette Ortiz, Gensler's Southeast Region Photography and Awards Manager with Cuban-Colombian roots, sits down with Vivian Caravaca, a [Tica] Costa Rican architect in Gensler's Tampa office, Christian Hernandez, a Cuban technical designer in Gensler's Miami office, and Dani Marquez, a Venezuelan designer in Gensler's Atlanta office, to discuss their career journeys, what it means to be Hispanic in our industry, their role in making our communities more resilient & equitable, and the impact that diversity in design and architecture can have on the human experience.

At Gensler, we have already shared comprehensive recommendations for space guidelines, proprietary tools, and consulting services for what's needed to successfully return to the office now, in the near term, and in the long term with our clients. But even as workplace experts, we are learning daily and adapting our business practices to reflect updated CDC recommendations, evolving employee expectations, and new research findings. In this episode of the Gensler Design Exchange, Francisco Gonzalez, Principal and Gensler D.C. Office Director, sits down with Kate Kirkpatrick, Principal and Gensler D.C. Consulting Studio Director, to gather practical recommendations and honest perspectives on the challenges and opportunities in returning to our offices, and discuss how people, place, and technology might come together in an optimized workplace ecosystem.

Next week marks the start of Hispanic Heritage Month, which is a month long celebration honoring the culture and contributions of Hispanic and Latino Americans. To kick off the month, we’re re-sharing an episode that aired just under a year ago where Cuban-born Gensler D.C. Design Director Nestor Santa-Cruz explains how his work process has changed through the pandemic and offers insights on how to stay plugged in to find design inspiration in a hybrid world. With more than 21 years of corporate interiors experience, Nestor is noted for his award-winning designs, which have been published in Interior Design, Contract Design, Elle Décor, Architectural Record, and The Washington Post. Nestor has earned a reputation as a trendsetter whose designs appeal to a diverse and international audience. With his innate architectural style sensibility and expansive knowledge of design history, Nestor serves a wide variety of law, financial, government, association, hospitality, and residential clients to design projects of

Gensler’s Southeast Women’s Leadership Forum was born as an organic, uplifting digital meeting ground for people to share insights on our current world, professional experiences, and hopes for the future. The Forum hosts a series of conversations with emerging leaders and those in leadership roles who share their personal career journeys and experiences, while addressing topics relevant to developing leadership skills. In honor of Women’s Equality Day, we’re re-publishing an episode from earlier this year where we share our favorite moments, key takeaways, and specific calls to action from these enlightening dialogues that will help emerging professionals navigate their unique path to leadership.

As campuses reopen, possibly in-person for the first time since March of 2020, colleges across the country continue to face challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic. But higher education is resilient and evolving — administrators, instructors, and students alike are rethinking its value proposition and what new directions it might take in the future. The experience of students and educators while learning and teaching during the pandemic holds critical considerations for what the future of higher education might look like. In this episode, we explore how we might incorporate the best of virtual learning into physical spaces and blending learning programs in the future.

As people's relationships with their cities shift, we believe it's critical that developers, urban designers, and clients shape planning strategies and key re-entry decisions based on valuable research data and analyzed trends. In today's episode, Mark Erdly, Cities + Urban Design Practice Area Leader for Gensler's Southeast region speaks with Sofia Song, Gensler's Global Cities Lead, to discuss findings from the Gensler Research Institute's City Pulse Surveys. Then, Mark speaks with local experts Kevin Songer, Gensler Atlanta Co-Managing Director, Brad Brogdon, Gensler Charlotte Design Manager, and Leith Oatman, Gensler Tampa Workplace Practice Area Leader to discuss how the findings from our research have implications on workplace, mobility, retail, culture, and entertainment for rising cities in the Southeast and beyond.

With the Olympics kicking off on July 23, we’re talking with athletes to discuss how a lifestyle of health and wellbeing can help build up endurance in both the body and mind — positively impacting your workplace productivity and problem-solving abilities in the office. Guests include Errick McAdams, DC-based personal training expert; Madeleine Crippen, Gensler SE Marketing Director and Olympic swimmer; and Brandon Larcom, Gensler's Global Director of Product Development and former National Figure Skating champion and fitness product inventor. SHOW NOTES: bit.ly/genslerpod

In June 2021, the YWCA South Florida celebrated 100 years of social impact, standing at the forefront of some of the most critical social movements in history and addressing the need for civil, social, and economic justice in its community. Ushering in its next century of social impact, the YWCA South Florida looks to drive empowerment through design. On today's episode of the Gensler Design Exchange podcast, Gensler Miami Senior Associate, Co-Studio Director & Client Relationship Leader Jorge Bernal sits down with Gensler Miami Principal & Co-Managing Director Diana Farmer-Gonzalez, YWCA South Florida President & CEO Kerry-Ann Royes, and Kaufman Rossin Director of Risk Advisory Services Glenn Davis. SHOW NOTES: bit.ly/genslerpod

An exclusive interview between Jordan Goldstein, Principal and Gensler's Global Director of Design, and our dear client Tim Grisius, Global M&A and Real Estate Officer at Marriott International. Together they discuss Grisius's career; the evolution of Marriott from a root beer stand to the largest hospitality company in the world; the path to recovery for the hospitality industry; Marriott's innovative, new Gensler-designed headquarters; and much more. SHOW NOTES: bit.ly/genslerpod

In a new era of mobility, connectivity is a critical component to a resilient, inclusive, and vibrant region. The Capital Region of Baltimore, MD, Washington, D.C., and Richmond, V.A.  has an immense opportunity to spur regional economic competitiveness and collaboration, build the nation's most inclusive economy, and increase access to affordable housing for millions of residents by focusing on a key transportation asset: the extensive regional rail network. Currently, the region’s commuter rail systems’ lines and operators are segmented by political boundaries, causing simple commutes to nearby destinations to be needlessly cumbersome and inefficient. Gensler, alongside regional interest groups like the Greater Washington Partnership, have sought to re-imagine this system as a unified, connected whole through The Capital Region Rail Vision. Today’s guests have all been involved in the development of the Rail Vision, so we brought them together to discuss how we can work collaboratively to bring it to fruiti

In today’s episode, Carolyn Sponza, Principal & Studio Director at Gensler, speaks with Leona Agouridis, Executive Director of the Golden Triangle Business Improvement District (BID), and Cheryl Wing-Zi Wong, a New York-based artist, to explore the connections between art and architecture, current demands for space activation, and how we might reimagine our streets and the public realm to steward more equitable and sustainable districts.

In the second episode of our “Looking Up” series with Armstrong World Industries, a dear client of ours and an innovative global company that provides ceiling and wall solutions for commercial buildings and residential spaces, Katie Mesia, Southeast Region Design Resilience Leader and Gensler Executive Climate Council member, moderates a conversation between Gregory Plavcan, Sustainability Consulting Leader at Gensler, Helen Sahi, Director of Sustainability at Armstrong, Mark Hershey, Senior Vice President of Sustainability at Armstrong, about how our two organizations are charting the course toward a more sustainable, resilient future — for ourselves and for our clients. SHOW NOTES: bit.ly/genslerpod

We’re re-broadcasting a panel discussion hosted by DCA Live last week. In this conversation, Christian Amolsch, Client Relationship Leader and Senior Associate, and Kim Sullivan, Principal in Gensler’s Washington D.C. office, speak with industry experts David Crew, Head of Real Estate at Hogan Lovells, Susan Berson, DC Office Managing Partner at Mintz, Brian Sprague, COO at Akin Gump, and Maurice Bellan, DC Office Managing Partner at Baker Mckenzie, to discuss how design trends that have accelerated in the last year will have a lasting impact on the world’s leading law firms, their workforces, and their design partners for many years to come. SHOW NOTES: bit.ly/genslerpod

Through the chaos of the past year, the Women’s Leadership Forum became an organic, uplifting digital meeting ground for people — both men and women — to share insights on our current world, our professional experiences, and our predictions for what’s to come. Though we’ve never opened up these conversations to the public before, today, we’re sharing some of our favorite moments from these enlightening dialogues. SHOW NOTES: bit.ly/genslerpod