{"id":191136,"date":"2021-12-06T17:30:53","date_gmt":"2021-12-06T22:30:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/interiordesign.net\/?post_type=id_project&p=191136"},"modified":"2023-10-17T22:35:59","modified_gmt":"2023-10-18T02:35:59","slug":"a-tribute-to-art-gensler-and-the-monumental-impact-of-his-legacy","status":"publish","type":"id_news","link":"https:\/\/interiordesign.net\/designwire\/a-tribute-to-art-gensler-and-the-monumental-impact-of-his-legacy\/","title":{"rendered":"A Tribute to Art Gensler and the Monumental Impact of His Legacy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\"Art
M. Arthur ‘Art’ Gensler Jr. (1935-2021), photographed in 1976, founded his eponymous architecture\/design firm\u2014now the world’s largest\u201456 years ago. Photography courtesy of Gensler.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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December 6, 2021<\/p>\n\n\n

Words: <\/span>Edie Cohen<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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A Tribute to Art Gensler and the Monumental Impact of His Legacy<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Of the many losses endured over the past 20 months, one hits particularly hard on our industry: the May passing of M. Arthur Gensler Jr.\u2014know to all as Art\u2014at the respectable age of 85. During his remarkable 65-year career, Art built the largest architecture\/design firm in the world. The stats speak: Gensler<\/a> currently has 50 locations spanning North and South America, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Australia. Personnel encompasses 5,800 employees\u2014plus a cadre of outside consultants on call for top-notch expertise. The firm\u2019s 28 practice areas cover the alphabet, from aviation to wellness. Active clients numbering 3,500 represent every industry and sector imaginable, from Fortune 500 companies such as Oracle to civic enterprises like San Francisco International Airport. The firm\u2019s collaborative, multidisciplinary teams tackle projects of immense scale, from the 76-acre CityCenter in Las Vegas to the soaring 2,073-foot Shanghai Tower, a pinnacle of Art\u2019s career\u2014and of the firm\u2019s reach and success. Per The New York Times<\/em>, 2019 revenue was in excess of $1.5 billion. Gensler has been ranked number one on Interior Design<\/em>\u2019s Giants list for 41 years straight. Even during a pandemic, the firm continues to grow exponentially, having onboarded 1,400 team members since April 2020, as well as debuting a Climate Action & Sustainability practice area and a newly minted health sector, building on such recent triumphs as its contributions to the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Art, though an instinctual entrepreneur, would have been hard-pressed to envision such a future when he first entered the field, as an undergrad at Cornell University\u2019s College of Architecture, Art, and Planning. His time there was formative in many ways. It was at Cornell that he met both his future wife, Drucilla \u201cDrue\u201d Cortell (a Middlebury College student at the time), and Bay Area architect Henry Hill, a visiting critic and early mentor who encouraged the Brooklyn native to consider moving West. Which Art did in 1962, eventually landing in the San Francisco office of Wurster, Bernardi & Emmons, working on projects like the newly inaugurated Bay Area Rapid Transit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Contact
Contact sheets of publicity portraits from a 1976 photo shoot. Photography courtesy of Gensler.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It wasn\u2019t long after, in 1965, that Art hung out his shingle, launching M. Arthur Gensler Jr. & Associates Architects with Drue and partner James Follett in a one-room storefront at 555 Clay Street. Art and Drue, who worked as office manager, had but $200 in the bank and three (of an eventual four) kids at the time. Some of his earliest projects were tenant-improvement work, a typology his technical skill set and out-of-the-box thinking were well suited to; those commissions presented an opportunity to examine and rethink how businesses operate within a space, and how to support that through the design; he made notable contributions in this vein to the Alcoa Building and Bank of America headquarters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blurring distinctions between architecture and interiors became Art\u2019s operating principle\u2014a novel concept at the time that has since become a keystone of the profession. \u201cBy designing from the inside out, Art changed the industry,\u201d says Jerry Lea, executive vice president of Houston-based developer Hines, a longtime Gensler client. Lea recalls the real-estate company\u2019s initial conversations with Art in the mid-\u201980s, \u201ca time when the core and shell was designed to enhance the outside appearance of the building with little or no regard to the interior experience.\u201d The architect encouraged late founder Gerald Hines, \u201cto think differently and create buildings that provided flexible and efficient tenant layouts with great views and higher quality interior finishes,\u201d Lea continues. \u201cGerry took Art\u2019s advice and increased ceiling heights, upgraded restroom and elevator lobby finishes, and provided floor-to-ceiling windows, better indoor air quality, and energy efficiency, to set a higher standard for tenants to follow\u201d\u2014a sort of trickle-down high-design strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Workplace design was an early focus and remains a competitive advantage; Adobe, Airbnb, Boston Consulting Group, Campari Group, Dropbox, Facebook, Hyundai Capital, Nvidia, LinkedIn, L\u2019Or\u00e9al, and The New York Times<\/em> count among the powerhouse brands for which Gensler has executed offices. Believing in the power of design to transform organizations, Art considered the typology a locus of life enhancement and a springboard for research; in 2005 and 2006, the firm officially launched its U.K. and U.S. Workplace Surveys.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Art
M. Arthur ‘Art’ Gensler Jr. (1935-2021), photographed in 1976, founded his eponymous architecture\/design firm\u2014now the world’s largest\u201456 years ago. Photography courtesy of Gensler.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

While workplace was the firm\u2019s foundation, Gensler was multidisciplinary from the get-go, and Art was intentional about expanding the firm\u2019s purview as opportunities presented themselves. His relationship with The Gap began when founder Don Fisher kicked sand on him at a La Jolla beach. A 1974 commission to coordinate stores, graphics, and construction for the clothing label ultimately swelled to more than 600 installations. \u201cLuck is not a strategy,\u201d Art said, \u201cbut when it comes your way, act on it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fisher was not the only notable client Art met purely through kismet. A chance encounter with Steve Jobs at a design conference in the 1970\u2019s led to interiors for Apple\u2019s Cupertino headquarters and first 100 stores. Art met David Neeleman, JetBlue\u2019s founder, on one of the carrier\u2019s flights. The executive was personally walking the aisles offering drinks and chips to passengers. When Neeleman got to the 6-foot-4-inch-tall architect seated in economy, he adjusted the seat, and they began to chat. Soon came an RFP for JetBlue\u2019s terminal at JFK International Airport, where Gensler has since completed a number of other projects. Art\u2019s ability to convert fortuitous meetings into major\u2014and influential\u2014commissions bespeaks the authority with which he pleaded the business case for good design. Art communicated effectively with titans of industry because he was one himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe, not me\u201d: Leading via collaboration<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Part of being a good businessman, he believed, entailed planning for corporate perpetuity. \u201cFailure to embrace succession planning as early as possible is a roadblock to the test of time,\u201d Art stated. As a natural culmination of his firm-as-family mentality, he transitioned Gensler to an employee-owned entity in 1988 and both a board of directors and an executive committee were instated in 2000, formalizing a collaborative leadership structure that now extends to studios, offices, regions, practice areas, and design disciplines. \u201cArt was a visionary in organizational leadership,\u201d says Martin Koffel, former CEO of engineering firm URS Corporation (acquired by AECOM in 2014), a frequent project partner. \u201cHe was a generation ahead of his time in sharing credit with others and creating an inclusiveness in his organization that\u2019s rarely achieved today.\u201d Adds California College of the Arts president Stephen Beal: \u201cArt was so attuned to other people\u2019s ideas\u2014he was a brilliant collaborator. In design, the importance of multiple perspectives often gets overlooked. He didn\u2019t let a singular design ego override the collaborative experience.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Gensler\u2019s
Gensler\u2019s Houston office in the 1970s. Photography courtesy of Gensler.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"IBM
IBM Corporation, Houston, 1977. Photography courtesy of Gensler.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"Moscone
Moscone Convention Center, San Francisco, 1987. Photography by Nick Merrick.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"Interior
Interior Design, January 1990 Giants of Design cover, which Gensler has topped for 41 years straight. Photography courtesy of Gensler.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Art stepped down from his management role in 2005, ceding the floor to current co-CEOs Andy Cohen and Diane Hoskins\u2014both longtime Gensler employees. He had a belief in the continuity of personnel befitting any efficient business model. \u201cAs you gain in size, you need to develop your firm\u2019s leadership abilities,\u201d he wrote in Art\u2019s Principles (Wilson Lafferty, 2015), a plain-speak textbook as well as a blueprint for a thoughtful life, well lived. \u201cIt takes time to find talent, to groom, and to generate value.\u201d He invested in his people and took mentorship very seriously. \u201cArt would do anything to support us,\u201d Hoskins says. Design principal Ronette King agrees: \u201cHe looked at each of us and saw our potential; that was all it took.\u201d Art\u2019s management style, says regional managing principal Robin Klehr Avia, \u201cwas based on a deep trust of our people. He would give you the car keys, trusting you to understand the expectations and chart the best course.\u201d Art didn\u2019t need to ride shotgun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Capital
Capital Bank, Miami, 1985. Photography by Nick Merrick.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

That ethos defines Gensler today, which, since 2005, has more than tripled in size and gone global, with offices in 15 countries. \u201cWe grow the firm by growing our people,\u201d says Cohen. \u201cThat is foundational to our \u2018one-firm firm\u2019 culture, where we empower the industry\u2019s top talent to pursue their passions and make a difference. We give our people opportunity to lead not only projects but also studios, offices, client relationships, practice areas, design disciplines, new ventures, research, etc.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"The
The young Art and Drucilla \u2018Drue\u2019 Gensler in an undated photograph. Photography courtesy of Gensler. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"Art\u2019s
Art\u2019s Principles, the architect\u2019s 2015 book of professional and personal advice. Photography courtesy of Gensler.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

A testament to this \u201cconstellation of stars\u201d mentality is the number of Gensler-ites who have been initiated into the Interior Design <\/em>Hall of Fame over the decades. There\u2019s Art himself, of course, plus six other firm members: Margo Grant Walsh, Antony Harbour, Don Brinkmann, and Collin Burry in addition to King and Klehr Avia. (Orlando Diaz-Azcuy was tapped in 1988, the year he founded ODADA after 11 years with Gensler.) And in 2009 Gensler itself was inducted\u2014the first and only firm to receive the vaunted designation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
The San Francisco office staff in 1976. Photography courtesy of Gensler.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Gensler Through the Years<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

1965<\/strong> Firm founded in San Francisco by Art Gensler
1967<\/strong> First major contract: Bank of America
1970<\/strong> Two offices; 45 employees
1974<\/strong> First of 600+ projects for The Gap
1981<\/strong> Ranked #1 on Interior Design Giants list
1985<\/strong> Art Gensler inducted into the Interior Design Hall of Fame
1988<\/strong> First overseas office, London, opens
1990<\/strong> Gensler\u2019s 25th anniversary
1993<\/strong> Atlanta, Detroit, New Jersey, Tokyo, and Hong Kong offices open
1995<\/strong> First major hospitality renovation: Beverly Hills Hotel
1998<\/strong> Gensler Design Excellence Awards program established
2005<\/strong> Andy Cohen and Diane Hoskins named Gensler co-CEOs
Art Gensler won the U.S. Green Building Council Leadership Award
2006<\/strong> U.S. Workplace Survey launched
2007<\/strong> gServe community impact program established
2009<\/strong> First firm inducted into the Interior Design Hall of Fame
2014<\/strong> Gensler Research + Innovation Awards established
2015<\/strong> Gensler\u2019s 50th anniversary
Firm signs Paris Pledge for Action at COP21 conference
2016<\/strong> Shanghai Tower opens, becoming China\u2019s tallest building at the time
2016<\/strong> Gensler hosts first Design Forecast LIVE event in New York
2017<\/strong> 10-year anniversary of Gensler Research Program (now the
Gensler Research Institute)
2019<\/strong> Gensler Cities Climate Challenge announced
2020<\/strong> Gensler City Pulse Survey launched
Gensler\u2019s five-part Strategies to Fight Racism launched
2021<\/strong> Art Gensler passes away
TODAY<\/strong> 50 offices; 28 practice areas; 10 regions; 5,800+ team members<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"1965:
1965: M. Arthur Gensler JR & Associates Architects office, San Francisco. Photography courtesy of Gensler.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cArt, with whom I worked when I was at Hyatt, was always interested in anything new, unafraid to question conventional wisdom and encourage his colleagues to explore new ideas and options.\u201d \u2014 John Nicolls, John Nicolls Group<\/h3>\n\n\n\n