Gensler Design Exchange

When you think about flooring, what do you imagine? The sound of heels clicking on a surface? Tile, wood, carpet, and vinyl? Yes, flooring is the material beneath your feet, but it is also the footpath through your everyday life. It maps out our global cities and suburbs purposefully and effectively, and we evolve upon its surface, first learning to crawl, then walk and run upon it. Shaw Contract is an innovative flooring company that is transforming the way we walk through the world with its emphasis on functionality and design. In this episode of the Gensler Design Exchange podcast, Gensler Design Director Meena Krenek speaks with John Stephens, Vice President of Marketing for Shaw Contract. SHOW NOTES: bit.ly/genslerpod

The holidays are a time of year for giving back and lending a hand to help those in your community. To honor this, this week on the Gensler Design Exchange podcast, we’re celebrating issue advocacy through the power of design. On this episode, Elaine Asal, design strategist in our Gensler Baltimore office, talks with Ryan Cavanaugh (design manager, Gensler Atlanta), Michael Adkins (consulting strategist, Gensler D.C.), Meredith Baber (marketing manager, Gensler D.C.), and Christian Fortuno (technical designer, Gensler Miami) about their recent collaboration with Mera Kitchen Collective, a community-driven, food-based cooperative focused on the empowerment of refugee and immigrant women. 

Recently, Gensler’s Washington, D.C., hub hosted a panel discussion in partnership with the Washington Business Journal to discuss the state of the DMV region, what’s on the horizon, and what that means for our local businesses and communities. Panelists: Victor Hoskins, Director of Arlington Economic Development; Emily Weems, VP and Head of Government and Policy Affairs at Capital One; Brian T. Kenner, Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development of the Government of the District of Columbia; and David Petr, President & CEO of the Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation. Show Notes: bit.ly/genslerpod

Brandon Larcom, Director of Product Development for Gensler's Southeast Region, interviews Janet Pogue McLaurin, Principal at Gensler, about global trends in workplace design. Janet is a workplace strategist, researching how design can impact office effectiveness, wellbeing, and innovation. Brandon sits down with Janet to discuss what a healthy work environment looks like, how to measure productivity, and where workplace design is headed. SHOW NOTES: bit.ly/genslerpod

Today, Gensler Design Director Meena Krenek speaks with Red Bull's Southeast Vice President of Marketing Alastair Dickson. The two dissect the importance of 'why' – why Alastair was interested to the Red Bull brand in the first place, why Red Bull decided to move its new Southeast HQ into an abandoned warehouse in a burgeoning part of Atlanta, and why design is pivotal to cultivating customer experience and fostering a positive, productive workplace that inspires employees everyday. 

In this episode of the Gensler Design Exchange podcast, Greg Plavcan sits down with Liz Resenic of Gensler’s Washington office. Liz is a Sustainability Specialist and an active contributor to Gensler’s WorkWell model as well as Gensler’s internal wellbeing initiatives. In their conversation, Greg and Liz discuss the symbiotic relationship between sustainability and wellbeing, the history of Gensler’s WorkWell model, and how Gensler is continuing to evolve and expand it’s well-being program internally and externally. SHOW NOTES: bit.ly/genslerpod

In this episode of the Gensler Design Exchange podcast, host Gregory Plavcan talks with Gary Strehlke, the Wellbeing Navigator at Steelcase. Gary begins by describing wellbeing hubs at Steelcase as an accessible approach to HR. Rather than the “principal’s office” HR tends to be, a wellbeing hub is an intentional space designed with a holistic approach: a place where employees can address concerns both directly and indirectly related to work. The hubs go beyond basic biometrics and focus on building relationships where employees feel they’ve been heard, have input on their treatment plan, see the actual benefit as they make progress, and want to come back. SHOW NOTES: bit.ly/genslerpod

In this episode of the Gensler Design Exchange, Gensler's Gregory Plavcan talks with Gary Strehlke, Wellbeing Navigator at Steelcase. Steelcase's wellbeing hubs are an accessible approach to HR. Rather than the “principal’s office” HR tends to be, a wellbeing hub is an intentional space where employees can address concerns both directly and indirectly related to work and where physical barriers to access are transformed or removed with a goal of making people feel comfortable enough to engage the resources. SHOW NOTES: bit.ly/genslerpod

In this episode of the Gensler Design Exchange podcast, host Gregory Plavcan talks with mindfulness meditation teacher Grace Ogden. Grace draws from 27 years of experience in mindfulness meditation and teaches at George Washington University and UMass Medical School Center for Mindfulness. In this conversation, Gregory and Grace discuss the difference between wellness and wellbeing, how and why to cultivate a wellbeing oriented workplace, how to get more people to engage in mindfulness practices, and two practical tips for fighting a distressed mind. Show Notes: bit.ly/genslerpod

We're working on new content for our next few seasons of the Gensler Design Exchange. Catch up on all of our previous episodes on our show notes page, and stay tuned for more design forecasts coming your way soon! 

Our Gensler Sports team has designed dozens of dynamic sports facilities across the world and across the college and professional leagues. From locker rooms to arenas, our work has created large-scale place making and branded destinations with the potential to revitalize communities and improve player performance. In today’s final installment of the Gensler Design Exchange sports series, Ryan Sickman, Gensler’s firmwide practice area leader in sports, talks to colleagues Kristin Byrd, Byron Chambers, and Steve Chung, about Gensler’s innovative perspective on sports and stadium design. Show Notes: bit.ly/genslerpod

If you’ve attended any sporting event in the last ten years, chances are you’ve walked through a metal detector or had your bag checked by a guard after you scan your ticket. Ryan Sickman, Gensler’s sports practice area leader, spoke with Russ Simons, Chief Listening Officer and Managing Partner at Venue Solutions Group, about the top trends in sporting event security today and how venues can design for more effective visitor and player safety tomorrow. Show Notes: BIT.LY/GENSLERPOD

Today, the Capital One Arena has hosted 47 million people and more than 3,915 events. Its impact, however, far exceeds its walls. The neighborhood, once destitute, is now a lively mixed use district. Ryan Sickman, Gensler’s sports practice area leader, spoke with Jordan Silberman and David Touhey, Vice Presidents of Operations for Capital One Arena, about the stadium’s commitment to its local community and how they are rethinking design to create enhanced experiences for its diverse fans. Show Notes: bit.ly/genslerpod

At Oregon State University, Gensler Sports is working closely with the athletics department to upgrade student-athletes’ resources and player spaces. Ryan Sickman, Gensler’s sports practice area leader, speaks with Scott Barnes, Vice President & Athletics Director at Oregon State University, to talk about how advanced technology is helping Oregon State increase recruitment while designing optimized, individualized training programs and player safety strategies for student-athletes. Show Notes: Bit.ly/GenslerPod

With at-home technology making the view from a fan’s couch as lifelike as being there in person, today’s sports teams are evaluating how they can update their arenas to make attending games live – instead of in front of a TV – an unbeatable experience. In today’s conversation with the Cleveland Cavaliers CEO, Len Komoroski, Gensler Sports Practice Area Leader, Ryan Sickman, talks about how success in preparing for the future of sports lies at the intersection of cutting-edge technology and innovative design. Show Notes; bit.ly/genslerpod

Professional sports teams and their staff are flexing their design thinking muscles to find new ways to keep fans buzzing about their brands for longer periods of time. In his interview with Ryan Sickman, Gensler’s Sports Practice Area Leader, Antony Bonavita, Senior Vice President of Facility Operations at Cleveland Cavaliers/Quicken Loans Arena, speaks about his experience in the field of managing fan engagement alongside both the Cleveland Cavaliers and the San Antonio Spurs. Show Notes: bit.ly/genslerpod

Kevin Kearney, Aramark’s District Manager specializing in food service at Quicken Loans Arena, spoke to our sports practice area leader at Gensler, Ryan Sickman, to discuss why stadium concessions are an integral part of the game-going experience and how the redesign of the Q in favor of more social spaces with food accessibility is enhancing the community connection of fans with the arena. Show Notes: bit.ly/genslerpod

In the latest episode of the Gensler Design Exchange, Gensler’s residential practice area leader, Phil Esocoff, speaks to Tama Duffy Day, Gensler’s firmwide health and wellness expert, on how today’s elderly population is redefining what “active aging” entails and how residential communities can be redesigned to support more inclusive, multigenerational living that supports aging in place. Show Notes: bit.ly/genslerpod

Urban planners are reimagining what cities can be by implementing solutions like smart parking and micro units to allow more and more people to move into cities comfortably. Today, Gensler’s Residential Practice Area Leader, Phil Esocoff, speaks with Darryl Hemminger, Senior Vice President for ZOM, on how developers are assessing tenant needs across cities and suburbs and finding solutions that best fit each demographic. Show notes: bit.ly/genslerpod

Are Millennials Really Fueling the Amenities Arms Race|An interview with Peter Armstrong Millennials may have caused a 31 percent uptick in houseplant sales in 2016, but are they also responsible for the “amenities arms race” happening in urban centers across America? According to Peter Armstrong, Vice President at The Georgetown Company, the answer is simply: no. It turns out that this much hyped generation isn’t so different from their Baby Boomer or Generation X predecessors when it comes to choosing where and how to live, and many Millennials may not even have the disposable income to live in the trendiest areas of town. Gensler’s Residential Practice Area Leader Phil Esocoff had a conversation with Peter to talk about how amenities in residential apartment spaces can contribute to increased well being across generations, how developers and leasing companies are reimagining what amenities can be, and which amenities will stand the test of time. Rooftops and gyms and community pools – oh my! The Washingt