This year marks Gensler’s 50th anniversary. As it looks toward the future, the planet’s largest architectural design firm sees a world “on the cusp of breakthroughs made possible by innovation, urbanization, and global connectivity,” write co-CEOs David Gensler and Andy Cohen, FAIA, IIDA; and Diane Hoskins, FAIA, in Gensler’s just-released Design Forecast 2015.
Some of the topics Gensler addresses in its 73-page forecast—such as the role of design in increasingly citified environments, where generational demarcations are not always clear and where technological advances proceed unabated—might sound familiar to anyone who’s been keeping up with current events within the nonresidential construction universe.
However, many other AEC firms are probably thinking about how they should respond to the same megatrends that Gensler identifies as shaping design:
• Workplaces are rethinking the nature of work itself as social media and business networks mesh.
• As more people move into cities, innovation will be the key to pragmatic and affordable approaches to planning.
• If technology is raising the stakes on just about everything, where does the human dimension come in?
• In tackling problems revolving around infrastructure resilience, societies are leaning toward holistic solutions, active management, and stewardship.
• As density becomes the abiding development strategy, developers and owners are attracting the best tenants with rich amenities and transit-served destinations.
• Good data and strong analytics are crucial for keeping up with generational cohorts that are “moving targets.”
Gensler’s Forecast also cites 27 trends that are directly impacting the firm’s three primary practices: Workplace, Community, and Lifestyle. Here’s a sampling:
Commercial office buildings “are less of a stand-alone real estate product and more a part of mixed use.” That use, more often than not, is a combination that goes beyond towers to provide “different scales, and … promote[s] the kind of informal interaction that generates higher retail traffic and evening and weekend activity.”
An organizational imperative for an energy sector that must stay flexible and adaptable in a volatile world “is to align: one brand, mission, purpose, and workforce.”
Corporate campuses are shedding their stodgy image as disconnected, disparate buildings. By consolidating operations “under one roof,” companies maximize interactions, foster collaboration and innovation, and promote a sense of community. Photo: Hyundai Motor America, Fountain Valley, Calif. / courtesy Gensler
Technology “disrupts, so tech companies are questioning how buildings work. That means rethinking their performance and exploring innovations like untethered power.”
A burgeoning media sector, despite its equipment-heavy context, is still a creative industry that favors workspaces that are “open, amenity-filled, flexible in relation to new technologies, and capable of being scaled up fast for growth.”
Mass customization will drive product design, as large cities serve as micro-markets for products and innovation hubs that influence broader consumer tastes.
Life sciences companies are replacing traditional labs with technically complex workplaces that support the latest scientific advances, and allow researchers to form interdisciplinary teams for collaboration.
Next-generation aircraft provides a growth opportunity for large, non-hub airports to offer direct international service, city to city, bypassing existing gateway hubs. Global mega-hubs will grow and evolve as leisure destinations with more space dedicated to retail and dining. “Primed by smart devices, the passenger experience will take cues from retail centers and hotels.”
Consolidation, demographic shifts, and new competition are causing “massive” changes in the healthcare sector. Consumers want more choices. Work-based wellness is entering into the healthcare space. And the rise in specialty care centers reflects the movement toward personalized medicine that integrates clinical innovations with tailored care delivery.
What’s differentiating retail centers in an age of online shopping is their engagement with customers and communities. “As retailers’ real and digital worlds converge, the browse/buy function is evolving.” And word of mouth, so important to sales, “is part of the smartphone data that give retailers the bigger picture.”
In a digital era, when an experience that can’t be shared in real time “didn’t happen,” the goal of entertainment projects needs to be to connect with audiences before, during and after the event “so people are engaged and the ROI is higher.”
The hospitality sector is working overtime to be informal and welcoming, by integrating local culture and letting the larger community in whenever they can.
Countries in the Middle East and Asia are competing for which can build the tallest building. But the success of these “vertical cities” will ultimately be measured “by how well they attract and support tenants, and how well they fit with and enliven the city at their feet.”
Gensler foresees tomorrow’s mixed-use towers as anchors for diverse, walkable and transit-served districts.
Read the Gensler’s Design Forecast 2015.
Related Stories
| Dec 28, 2014
6 trends steering today's college residence halls
University students want more in a residence hall than just a place to sleep. They want a space that reflects their style of living and learning.
| Dec 28, 2014
Using energy modeling to increase project value [AIA course]
This course, worth 1.0 AIA LU/HSW, explores how to increase project value through energy modeling, as well as how to conduct quick payback and net present value studies to identify which energy strategies are most viable for the project.
| Dec 28, 2014
The lowdown on LODs: Bringing clarity to BIM
These days, BIM is par for the course across most facets of design. But a lot of the conversation surrounding BIM still lacks clarity due to ambiguous terminology, a lack of clear-cut guiding illustrations, and widely varying implementation, writes GS&P's John Scannell.
| Dec 28, 2014
The future of airport terminal design: destination status, five-star amenities, stress-free travel
Taking a cue from the hospitality industry, airport executives are seeking to make their facilities feel more like destinations, writes HOK's Richard Gammon.
| Dec 28, 2014
10 key design interventions for a healthier, happier, and more productive workplace
Numerous studies and mountains of evidence confirm what common sense has long suggested: healthy, happier workers are more productive, more likely to collaborate with colleagues, and more likely to innovate in ways that benefit the bottom line, writes Gensler's Kirsten Ritchie.
| Dec 28, 2014
7 fresh retail design strategies
Generic ‘boxes’ and indifferent service won’t cut it with today’s savvy shoppers. Retailers are seeking a technology-rich-but-handmade vibe, plus greater speed to market and adaptability.
| Dec 28, 2014
Workplace design trends: Make way for the Millennials
Driven by changing work styles, mobile technology, and the growing presence of Millennials, today’s workplaces are changing, mostly for the better. We examine the top office design trends.
| Dec 28, 2014
AIA: Commercial glass façade and door systems
When it comes to selecting fenestration systems—particularly glass facades and door systems—a number of factors come into play, requiring a thorough evaluation of a project’s individual requirements.
| Dec 28, 2014
10 essential habits of successful architects
Want to take the next step as a design processional? John Gresko, Senior Project Architect with HDR, explores the traits that many great architects possess.
| Dec 28, 2014
10 unglamorous things architects do
An acquaintance recently asked me about the kinds of things I did on a day-to-day basis at work, anticipating a response loaded with enviable activities. She was wrong, writes HDR's John Gresko.
