Gensler Monograph

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27 Brand Experience & Strategy 29 Customer Contact 31 Sports



Research on Buildings and Cities


Gensler’s Hackable Buildings Research Local Buildings and Cities To improve neighborhoods and cities, Gensler came up with conceptual creative intervention through the development of speculative designs. The event-based exhibit is to collect innovative cross-disciplinary feedback and data from commuity memebers and stakeholders, while having demands and trends in commercial development. The goal is to use the process of engaging civic leaders and local stakeholders to improve design solutions and expand understand how design can positively impact cities

Hack Cities Looking beyond the interior and exterior designs of building, Gensler focused on how to fit the fabric of urban neighborhood or district. Development as such works serves the bigger picture by integrating with nearby housing, transit, retail, dining, and educational institutions. Changes occur with the scale of the building, but impact it felt way beyond

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Figure 1: Hack City


Figure 2: Impact of Design

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Impact Through Design Gensler reviewed and analyzed data that was published on a building that sectors contributions to the climate change; audited Gensler’s building portfolio to comprehend the overall performance of the project and develop specific benchmarks of sustainablitly. Gensler used data informed statistical models to see how the amount of energy savings, greenhouse gas emmisions, and aggreagte water savings for projects that are designed for high-preformance standards; versus the National Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS) baseline. They used the end results to estimate the change the global buildings sector could have in climate change, and pick out additional steps architects can take positively impact it effects.

Figure 3: Impact of Design

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1. Energy Reduction Create energy econverstations with clients when onset of the design procedure, record the clients energy targets, and keep track of those targets to stay true

2. Innovative Partnerships Create teams of leading industry of engineers and consultants that are able to go through with energy models and simulations, and leverage the models for the decision making.

3. Material Selection Before selecting materials, deeply analyze their life cycle and energy to discussions to inform the clients, and encourage the selection of sustainable materials.

Figure 4: Impact of Design

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Figure 5: Impact of Design

4. Informed Commisioning Teach clients to commission their projects and building systems correctly to match with building operations and energy-use targets

5. Inclusive Decision Making Endorse building operators to be stakeholders in the design process to create an understanding and awareness of the energy goals, and make certain opertators have to tools necessay to track those goals

6. Post Occupancy Evaluation Encourage post occupancy evaluations for proejcts. Those conversations are another opportunity to work with building owners and occupiers to calibrate projects for the best performance possible.


Alignment for Impact What is the business case for community engagement? Gensler examied for best practice for community engagement on a spectrum of industries, with design and construction. Their goal was to calculate its relevance and effectiveness as part of an integrated design process. They surveyed various professionals involved in community related work to comprend how community engagement is suitable for their design process today. As well as, what upper hands that engagment brings from a succesful social responsiblity goals, to better business or community outcomes. Gensler also interviewed design professionals, non-profit organizations, community development groups, and academic instituations to look for a wider range of examples and experience with commuity engagement. Their findings focused on a comparative analysis of engagement plans, and acknowledgement of best practices and recommendations.

Figure 6: Alignment Impact

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Figure 7: Alignment Impact



Architecture of the Workplace


Prudential Insurance Company of America The Prudential Insurance Company of America’s western headquaters in Westlake, Califorina was created and designed in alignment to the standards of all Prudential projects curated in the late 1970s. For the creation of this facility, Prudential established a team of their corporate headquarters’ staff members and a local Prudential facilities group as well as outside architectural and interior design firms. Throughout the process, the team not only oversaw the development, but also insured all corporate guidlines were met.

Figure 8: Interior of Prudential Insurance Company

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Figure 9: Interior of Prudential Insurance Company

The building was a three-story , 775-foot long with more than 400,000 square feet of gross space. The structure was wedge-like and was gracefully set into the natural terrain in a fourty-nine sqaure foot landscape and master-planned acres within a sixty-four-acre parcel of land. The heart of the inside of the structure, the architects place a full height, skylight-capped atrium that goes across the whole length of the bulding. The interior design that surrouds the loud space allows individuals to move along it gorunds and provides visual access into each of the floors.


Figure 10: Interior of RepublicBank of Houston

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RepublicBank of Houston Initiating a modern-day design with a hint of historical elements, the building stands in opposition to Houston’s modernist glass towers with its red granite facade, pitched roof, and highly crafted, graceful lead finials. The Republic Bank of Houston is located across Louisiana Street from Pennzoil Place. It is a dynamic, low-level structure with a main banking hall and a high-rise office tower. The company put all their trust in Gensler’s creative ability to capture the rich dialogue of the exterior architecture and site plan, and created a design for the interiors that would also capture the unique architecture of the building without overpowering its occupants.

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Figure 11: Floor Plan


Goldman, Sachs & Company Goldman, Sachs & Company, reached out to Gensler for many projects of the company’s facilities. Since the 1970s, the architecture company has worked with Goldman Sachs on 3 projects: the 85th Broad Street Facility in New York City, the Peterborough Court Building which is their European headquarters, and One New York Plaza. For all these projects, Gensler’s interior architects, planners, and designers saw common characteristics:

1. The companies all round participation and support throughout the development of the quality of the design appoach 2. The implementation of full-scale mock-ups to oversee all of the significant components of the project. 3. The space requirements for flexibility. 4. The aspects of the buildings mechanical systems and controls, security, cabling, and communications. 5. Constructing various extra conference rooms, for easy conversion into vice president and partner offices. 6. The need on amenities of full service cafeterias, training facilities, and client dining and conference spaces. 7. Having fast internal communications based on visual, verbal, and physical.

Figure 12: Interior of Goldman, Sachs & Company

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Figure 13: Interior of Goldman, Sachs & Company



Architecture of Entertainment


Figure 14: Site Plan

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Sony Pictures Studios A team of Gensler architects, planners, and designers worked with Sony Pictures Entertainment on the project of their new studio. Sony Pictures had a vast list of over 100 diverse projects that cover the entire site. The plan was approved in 1993. It includes an addition of 1.8 million square feet of space, with the purpose of having a primary residence for the company, restoring the entire studio facility, improving the use of the land and creating a campus-like vibe that would have open spaces to enhance the quality of the working environment.

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Figure 15: Studio


Warner Bros In 1989, Gensler architects started to work with Warner Bros., on their expansion of the Burbank Studio facility. The architects and designers were asked to contribute to approximately 750,000 sqaure feet of space. They worked on adding an extention of the studio to create a campus-like feeling and as if it were in a residental area. The work included the demolitions of the historic Blue Room, and redesigning and renaming it to the Commisionary. The design of the cafeteria and 1,000 square feet of dining space. The implentation of a New York City street to complement the surronding structures of the studio which doubles as a shooting set. Gensler was challenged to create a functional and unique design, but also sticking to the same styles used throughout the studio facility

Figure 16: Dining Space

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Figure 17: Studio Exterior

Figure 18: Studio Interior


Figure 19: Studio

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Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures and Gensler worked together to create a design that would be incorporated to the existing studio lot with the new property adjecent to it. A blend of architectural and interior design, urban planning, and general programming creating two new buildings. These buildings are the Marathon Office Buidling and the Paramount Theater. The purpose of this project was to redesign, upgrade, and extend the Marathon paseo, a pedestrian walk which connects the lot from east to west, and to unify the new development with the elements that are already exsiting.

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Figure 20: Studio



The Passenger Experience


Figure 21: Terminal 3

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Terminal 3 Los Angeles International Airport Gensler was asked to redesign LAX terminal 3. It is the last of a series of projects to modernize terminals at Los Angeles International Airport. It is 13 gates that will be under a long-span “big roof ” with the interior open and column-free. Inspirted by the city of LA, terminal 3 is designed as the “city of centers” which holds areas, gates, and concessions all along the terminal. The circulation of the space makes it possble for free-flowing arrangements. Terminal 3 supports mulitple airlines. It has an open daylight filled interior that uses freestanding elements to implement security and visual seperation.

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Figure 22: Site Plan


Terminal 6 Chicago O’Hare International Airport Being one the busiest aiports and the hub of American Airlines and United Airlines, O’Hare International Airport worked with Gensler to create Terminal 6. Terminal 6 was the first major United States airport terminal to develop through design-build processes. The terminal was designed for post 9/11 era; terminal 6 has heightened security and an increase of the quailty in passenger experience. Concessions are shifted airside to a part of the departure sequence. The building features are spine-like and the roof provides cues to guide passengers from ticketing through security to their gates.

Figure 23: Terminal 6 Exterior

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Figure 24: Interior & Exterior


Figure 25: Terminal 5 Exterior

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Figure 26: Terminal 5 Interior

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Delta Air Lines Terminal 5 Los Angeles International Airport When Delta Airlines had bought out Western Airlines, they inhabited Terminal 5 at Los Angeles International Airport. Delta had reached out to Gensler architects to rennovate and create the expansion of the terminal. Delta was intrigued by Gensler’s concept of the new kind of hub terminal, that broke the mold and set a new trend for passenger convenience. The reconstruction of Terminal 5 has had a major impact on Delta’s operations in Los Angeles. The passenger traffic jumped by 40 percent, while concessions revenue tripled. The terminal is accessed from adjoining parking by a skybridge that intersects its main facade.

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Figure 27: Site Plan



Form & Strategy


Inside-Out Approach to the Built Environment Buildings that are designed by Gensler are mindful of their neighborhodds as well as the people that will be occupying the space. The firm’s architects look at massing, proportions, character, materials, and the footprint of the buildings that they design to ensure that all fits within the surrounding structures. Gensler works to use site and context instead of stylistic manipulation and geometric absractions to generate a design style. The buildings that are designed by Gensler, have the flexibilty to meet the user’s changing needs and the need of many users. The result, there is no Gensler look or solution but a quality standard that meets the needs of clients and the surrounding nature that is steadfastly maintained.

Figure 28: Hopkins Airport

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Figure 29: Studio Plaza

Figure 30: Turner Broadcasting Systems


Figure 31: Moscone Connvention Center

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Figure 32: Guam International Airport

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The New Urban Infrastructure The word infrastructure can often be defined at roads or dams. But today, this term describes facilities like airports and convention centers that support the economy and assist to connect national and global markets. There are three drives of the design of these building types. The first is funcational; airports and convention centers are designed around logistics. The second driver is social and cultural: these types of infrastructure is designed for communites. The third driver is human; these buildings need to designed around and with people.

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Figure 33: London City Airport


Forward-Looking Corporate Office Buildings In today’s world, it is vital to ensure future preservation of sustainabilty. Forward-looking buildings is to make people comfortable and effective, and for them to realize that these quailites vary with each person and changes over time. People favor workplaces with an ample amount of natural light, clean air, and the feeling of a real community. Companies are constantly changing their teams and work settings with their business strategy and response to market demands and conditions. Forward-looking buildings are designed to manage it effectively as it can be a big challenege in the corporate workplace.

Figure 34: MCI Worldcom IT/IS Division Headquarters

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Figure 35: Nikken Corporate Headquarters

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Figure 36: 100 Main Street Tower



Bibliography “Gensler.� Gensler. Accessed April 2, 2020. https://www.gensler.com/.

Gensler, M. Arthur., and Anthony Iannacci. Developing the Architecture of the Workplace: Gensler,

1967-1997. New York, NY: Edizioni Press, 1998.

Gensler Research Catalogue. Washington, DC: Gensler Research, 2014.

Iannacci, Anthony. Gensler: the Architecture of Entertainment. Milano: LArca Edizioni, 1996.

Iannacci, Anthony. Gensler Architecture: Form Strategy. New York: Edizioni Press, 1999.

Pickering, Andrew. The Passenger Experience: Gensler Airports. New York, NY: Edizioni Press, 2004.



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