Gensler Design Exchange

In today’s episode, our host Brandon Larcom sits down with internationally recognized Gensler D.C. Design Director Nestor Santa-Cruz. With more than 20 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 all scales. His designs have a long-lasting effect, marrying both modern and traditional styles, so the resulting space looks great, but also represents the client’s culture and mission authentically, organically, and “dateless-ly” — evoking an ongoing sense of belonging for all users. SHOW NOTES: http://bit.ly/genslerpod

In today’s episode of the Gensler Design Exchange podcast, we sit down with EDENS CEO Jodie McLean, El Cielo Hospitality Group Owner and Chef JuanMa Barrientos, and Ambassador of Colombia to the United States, Francisco Santos Calderón, to discuss La Cosecha’s cultural impact, authenticity, and significance in the nation’s capital. SHOW NOTES: http://bit.ly/genslerpod

Washington D.C. has experienced great transformation over the past decade. Ten years ago, neighborhoods such as Shaw, the Yards, Union Market, and the Wharf looked vastly different, if they existed at all. Now, these neighborhoods are among the most sought-after zip codes in the city. In today’s episode of the Gensler Design Exchange, Francisco Gonzalez, Gensler D.C. Office Director, sits down with Jeff Barber, Firmwide Design Experience Leader at Gensler, Oliver Carr, CEO of Carr Properties, and Austen Holderness, Chief Development Officer at Carr Properties, to discuss one of D.C.’s most exciting projects in the Union Market neighborhood — Signal House.

In today’s episode of the podcast, Gensler’s Transportation & Infrastructure Practice Area Leader David Zaidain speaks with experts from the District Department of Transportation & the Greater Washington Partnership to investigate how D.C. is learning from cities across the country, like Richmond and Seattle, to modernize its bus system and make it a modern mode of public transportation optimized for the future. SHOW NOTES: bit.ly/genslerpod

Receiving a cancer diagnosis can be one of the most stress inducing events in a person’s life. That’s why researchers at the Aquilino Cancer Center are investigating new methods of oncology that will treat not only the physical symptoms of disease, but the psychological aspects as well. Paired with design experts Chris Baer and Gensler’s Tama Duffy Day, research oncologists like Dr. Manish Agrawal now have a flexible, “Swiss army knife” of a learning space and testing environment, where clinical trials of MDMA and psilocybin therapy can lead to optimal results and care for cancer patients. On today’s episode of the podcast, we’ll discuss the science of psycho-oncology and how healing is at the apex of medicine, design, and the mind. 

Today, we're peeling back the next layer of La Cosecha's Mercado (market), Arte (art), and Cultura (culture) principles to discuss how the space's mindfully curated design and art selection establishes a cultural touchpoint authentically representative of today's Latin America. Our host, Gensler's Brandon Larcom, returns to La Cosecha's Estudio to talk with EDENS Managing Director Bill Caldwell, IBD Mural Artist Mariela Ajras, and Gensler Design Director Walter Trujillo about how the collaboration of EDENS, Gensler, and local artists and designers culminated in an eclectic celebration of Latin American arte.

Hot off the heels of this year's Wellbeing Week, we'd like to share with you a few tips we learned from Grace Ogden, a mindfulness meditation teacher with the George Washington University Center for Integrative Medicine, who led our staff through three simple meditations to manage stress. Leading the conversation is Gregory Plavcan, sustainability specialist and Wellbeing Week champion here at Gensler. SHOW NOTES: bit.ly/genslerpod

We are excited to introduce a three-part series on the Gensler Design Exchange podcast in collaboration with EDENS. Together, over the course of the next three months, we will explore how contemporary Latin marketplace La Cosecha (“the harvest”), designed by EDENS and Gensler, transcends the traditional concept of a marketplace by planting the seeds for a wide variety of ripe cultural immersion experiences cultivated by a dynamic community in Washington, D.C.’s historic Union Market District. In this first episode Mercado, our host, Gensler’s Brandon Larcom, sits down with Norma Morales Perez, Senior VP Brand + Culture for EDENS, and one of La Cosecha’s founding merchants — Brazilian native Carolina Furukrona of NOVA BOSSA — to explore how La Cosecha breaks down cultural barriers through design, curation, and engagement.

We're bring some exciting changes to the Gensler Design Exchange podcast, including a new logo AND new music! Stay tuned for more exciting episodes coming your way soon. In the meantime, don't forget to leave us a review if you've enjoyed the show! For more Gensler insights, check out the latest Design Forecast live on Gensler.com.

In today’s podcast episode, Jill Goebel speaks with Nestlé USA’s Head of Corporate Real Estate & Facilities Dawn Striff to discuss the vital role of change management in facilitating the company’s large-scale move and how the new headquarters’ design has impacted the culture, mission, community involvement, and workplace productivity of Nestlé USA. SHOW NOTES: bit.ly/genslerpod

Colleges and universities have cracked the code to propel cities forward toward the future of education: focus on the campus experience, expand pathways to new careers, and partner with surrounding communities and cities to drive growth. In Arlington, Va., Marymount University has done just that. In today’s podcast, Duncan Lyons, Design Director at Gensler, is speaking with Matthew Shank, President Emeritus at Marymount University and President of the Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges, and Samantha Baker, Director of Operations at the Ballston Business Improvement District and graduate student at Marymount University, to talk about what makes Marymount a model for the future of higher education in mixed use, urban environments. SHOW NOTES: bit.ly/genslerpod

Today, Kathleen Allen, brand strategist at Gensler, speaks with Jennifer Bowen, Vice President of Destination Development of the Augusta Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, about how the new “Augusta & Co.” redefines the traditional visitors center experience and creates a unique identity for the city of Augusta, Ga., serving as both a launchpad for an amazing visit to Augusta and a platform for the city itself. LEARN MORE: bit.ly/genslerpod

In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, we are bringing you a special episode of the Gensler Design Exchange focused on the impact of sound in health and wellness. In this episode, Gensler’s health and wellness leader, Tama Duffy Day, speaks with ambient electronic musician Yoko Sen, whose research on noise in hospitals and its effects on stress, health, and healing for both patients and physicians alike led the two women to later collaborate on “tranquility rooms” for hospital employees at the Johns Hopkins Sibley Innovation Hub. SHOW NOTES: bit.ly/genslerpod

In today’s rapidly changing world, companies, civic leaders, and citizens alike are interested in learning how they can incorporate sustainability into their organizations, communities, and daily lives to be more mindful of our impact on this Earth. In the spirit of Spring and Earth Day, today’s episode of the Gensler Design Exchange podcast features Benjamin Holsinger, a leader in Sustainability & Wellbeing Consulting at Gensler, joined by fellow sustainability teammates Liz Resenic and Gregory Plavcan, to share tips on how you can design sustainable practices into your daily life. Are you confused by the Trash/Recycle/Compost bins at health food stores? Are you seeking simple ways to be less wasteful at work — or is your company interested in learning about how to establish some greener, more mindful operations in the workplace? You’ve come to the right place. SHOW NOTES: bit.ly/genslerpod

Trends change fast with the influence of social media, but in architecture and design, a reputation and success is built over time. From glass walls to tables and chairs, chances are Barbara Nolan has helped influence your everyday surroundings. Gensler Director of Product Development Brandon Larcom speaks with Barbara Nolan, founder and principal of the Nolan Brands furniture showroom, today on her experience turning boutique brands into national names for more than 30 years.  SHOW NOTES: bit.ly/genslerpod

Creating a great workplace experience requires a focus not just on space and effectiveness. The best strategies align space, culture, interaction, and behavior to create a high-performance workplace experience that optimizes people’s performance. On today's episode of the Gensler Design Exchange, Gensler's Brandon Larcom and Tim Pittman sit down to discuss major findings from the 2019 U.S. Workplace Survey, creating a path forward for the future workplace. SHOW NOTES: bit.ly/genslerpod

Few roles have as symbiotic a relationship with architecture and design as facilities management. The task challenges those carrying it out to think critically about space, its effect on people and productivity, and how it interplays with financial stewardship. Rosalie Mignano-Aste is the vice president of corporate real estate and facilities management at Endeavor. In her role at Endeavor, formerly fashion and sports entertainment media conglomerate WME | IMG, Mignano-Aste oversees the administration of leasing, site selection, budgeting, broker liaison work, and bidding out architectural services and construction, after which her team also supervises move-ins and space maintenance. Today on the Gensler Design Exchange podcast, Gensler Design Director Meena Krenek sits down with Rosalie to dive into a conversation about how their roles intersect and interact. SHOW NOTES: bit.ly/genslerpod

Lynn University first opened its doors to students in Boca Raton, Fla., over 50 years ago. But before it became what it is today, it was first a private all-women’s school in what was once a sleepy South Florida town. Today, the campus is a vibrant and trailblazing educational institution in a fast-growing urban center.  The university has been consecutively named among the most innovative and international colleges in the country by U.S. News & World Report and recognized three times as an Apple Distinguished School for its iPad initiative, one of the most extensive tablet-based learning efforts in the country. It was also named a “Great College to Work For” by The Chronicle for Higher Education and recognized on the 2015 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll. Its success is due largely to its leadership’s nimble nature, emphasis on community engagement, and research to explore what’s next.  In recent years, Lynn partnered with Gensler for its Lynn 2020 and 2025 and beyond campus plan

Growing up, our parents would tell us never to get into cars with strangers or take what isn’t ours. Today, that’s all the norm thanks to rideshare apps like Lyft and Uber and dockless bikes and scooters like Lime. As technology evolves, so do our cities and the ways we move around. How is that affecting our transportation systems and urban infrastructure? Today on the Gensler Design Exchange, Gensler's David Zaidain talks with Dan Emerine from the DC Dept. of Transportation and Maggie Gendron of Lime to delve into just that. Show Notes: bit.ly/genslerpod

Coworking emerged as a popular trend for startups seeking budget-friendly workplaces and resources over the last few years — but this phenomenon hasn’t only affected tech companies. Public Policy Holding Company (PPHC), for example, is a Washington, D.C., based public policy conglomerate that houses a constant flow of boutique PR firms from both sides of the aisle. Today, Gensler Principal & Design Management Leader Jim Williamson, sits down with Bill Chess, CFO for PPHC, to chat about PPHC’s unique business model that falls in line with the startup economy, and how the space Gensler designed for it has positively impacted its success. SHOW NOTES: bit.ly/genslerpod