World Business Chicago’s Post

By tackling regional challenges and focusing on community well-being, architects can create spaces that reflect local culture and identity. It starts with engaging the community, ensuring that designs not only address current needs but also inspire future growth. This approach shows how thoughtful design can transform lives and foster a brighter future for the region. Gensler’s Tim Martin shares more on the exciting role of design in driving social impact in the Middle East. https://ow.ly/Enk050TGOhJ #DesignForImpact #MiddleEast #GenslerInsights

🌟 Pumped to attend my 2nd National Organization of Minority Architects Conference later this week and to connect with 50+ Gensler colleagues from across the firm 🌟 🌟 Gensler will have a few booth spots during Saturday's expo and we have leadership speaking and participating at various sessions throughout the week! Learn more on NOMA's Conference site: https://lnkd.in/g6F3Juxz 🌟 We're looking forward to meeting with as many individuals as we can, so if you're there, drop by and say hi to our team (look out for the Gensler pins we'll be wearing)! 🌟 Shout out to our amazing project team, Jason Pugh, NOMAC, AIA, AICP, LEED AP Erica Fuentes, M.Ed Annie Culbertson Sandra Martin Hayley Verdeyen Madison Metivier Nicole Minnameyer Kumar, NOMA, PHR Kimberly Johnson Tigner Lauriane Donang Mona Elamin Mustapha Williams, AIA, NOMA, LEED Green Assoc., for helping to plan and execute a positively impactful experience for our Gensler colleagues AND prospective talent 🌟 Plus points if you check out Gensler's recent Inclusion by Design Report and chat with us about our work in the diversity, equity and inclusion space. Check it out on our website, here: https://lnkd.in/gtWJFQ4Y If you're attending, what are you most excited for? Drop some comments below 👀 PS: Did you know we have increased the amount of Gensler NOMA members by 1000% since 2020? This is a testament to our strategies to build a just and inclusive future, especially with respect to our focus on creating opportunities for historically underrepresented professionals #NOMA #NOMABaltimore #Gensler #GenslerDesign #Architect #Designer #NOMA2024 #GenslerCareers #diversity #equity #inclusion #belonging

Lately, I've been thinking more about the tendency for our planning system create a preference towards 'safe' architectural designs, prioritizing schemes that aim to dodge controversy over those that might truly innovate or challenge the status quo. This approach, often influenced by the concerns of community members wary of change, results in our towns and cities missing out on distinctive, inspiring spaces. It's a conservatism that not only limits the scope for creative architectural expression but also impacts our strides towards sustainability, housing affordability, and the resilience of our urban landscapes. Yet, what if our planning policies shifted gears to champion more bold and inventive designs? Imagine if our public engagement processes were broadened to capture a wider array of voices, ensuring that development reflects a more diverse set of community needs and aspirations. And consider the potential transformation in public attitudes towards architecture if there was a greater emphasis on educating about its benefits - could we foster a more inclusive, forward-thinking approach to planning? This vision for a vibrant, sustainable, and resilient future hinges on our ability to embrace change and innovation. But it leaves me wondering, what are your thoughts on striking the right balance between innovation in architecture and preserving the character of our communities? How can we better involve everyone in shaping the places where we live, work, and play? I'm eager to hear your insights and experiences on this subject.

It’s been such a natural fit for an org like Centre for Public Impact to collaborate with WonderLab on a Melbourne DesignWeek offering! We both love learning and a few things have really made a more mutual learning posisble. 💡Generosity of ideas and a clear commitment to working in relational, creative and affirming ways, (which seems to be part of the dna of how WonderLabbers show up in engagements), means we build/maintain relationships, and can have more trust in eachother, curiosity about differences in opinion, and give and receive feedback well. 📆I think having the scheduled time available with the explicit intent of testing ideas and getting feedback is one of the most impactful and easy to implement hacks to build a culture of learning. It’s also bloody hard to protect space and time for learning and build habits as a team. 3….? I’m super curious what others are doing to develop practice, and hold space for learning from and with eachother. What’s your favorite tip, or something you’ve seen done well?!

Our latest issue is out! I hope you find some insight – into housing for the elderly and for intentional communities, the state of architectural education, the creation of culturally significant gathering places and more. https://lnkd.in/gGmT8-6N

Rob Wolfe FRSA used this quote as part of his seminar on social value at the Architectural Association this weekend. It’s a pretty confronting statement! But we do have a real challenge when it comes to architects engaging with social value. 💡A public splash park intended for families to use in summer is no good if there’s no shade. 💡 A concrete bench that blends tastefully with the ground is a nightmare if you’re partially sighted. Yet these projects still get green-lit. Avoiding mistakes like these means involving the people who will be using the space you’re creating. This is something bigger than hosting a meeting in the church hall on a rainy Wednesday night. It’s about working with communities to create spaces people can feel ownership of and take pride in. It’s about getting round your (inevitable!) unconscious blind spots by having conversations with a range of people who will be using the space. Opening yourself up to different experiences. Getting the community involved. It’s about listening. Engaging with communities properly is challenging, it can add complexity, it can mean changing how we do things. It’s also a privilege and rich with rewards. It’s how we learn, grow and add genuine value with the work we do. And it should be non-negotiable. Architects, along with developers, are in a powerful position to influence the social value added throughout a project’s lifecycle. After the great questions and conversations had at the weekend, we feel optimistic that the next generation of architects will be making the most of this great opportunity. Here's a little thing we wrote a while ago on community engagement, why we're so scared of it and why we need to "feel the fear and do it anyway": https://lnkd.in/dizHBUas As ever, would love to know your thoughts! #Architects #SocialValue #CoDesign #CommunityEngagement #UrbanDesign #UrbanRegeneration

Awards, but make it matter! 🏆By now you’ll know we’re a team fueled by passion, innovation, and dedication to this industry, and the weight of our influence will forever be used to create spaces where our industry can flourish. We also know that it takes insanely amazing brands to help us build our industry and that we’re able to create this space and place of recognition because of Infinity Surfaces and Oggie, and that matters, too — because it takes a village to present something on this scale. Despite everything that’s come before, this industry is anything but neutral, tepid, or ordinary. A bold, ballsy energy has swept through architecture and design, catapulting us into a realm of pure possibility. It’s like we’re all finally seeing in vivid, unapologetic colour — and there’s no going back. Whether you’ve won, been shortlisted, or simply had the courage to enter this year’s inaugural SCAPE Awards of Excellence, you’re all part of a significant change sweeping across our country. These awards celebrate the remarkable work of our architects and designers, honouring the exceptional vision that shapes our world. This is just the beginning of a movement that celebrates the soul of South African architecture and design — an ongoing ode to our impact as a profession. This is what excellence looks like, and so much lies on the horizon for this movement. If we have anything to do with it, and spoiler alert, we do... together we’ll be forging new paths and creating new and unchartered spaces for our industry to be celebrated. This issue is a genuine nod to the profession, to those who aspire to be an architect or designer, and to the broader network of building professionals we represent. This issue is our love letter to the extraordinary winning submissions! What’s next? We’re ready for 2025. Expect new categories, an incredible new venue, an expanded jury, + a fresh wave of energy you won’t be able to ignore. This is a pretty EPIC ONE.🔗 https://lnkd.in/dSYBxEpe Thank you to @infinitysurfacesza for partnering with us, & @oggieflooring for joining our dream team 🧡🏆🧡🏆!

Building a Profession That Speaks to Every Community In architecture, our work shapes communities, yet we often overlook the importance of representation within our own profession. Diversity isn’t just about numbers or checkboxes—it’s about ensuring that every community has someone at the table who understands their unique needs and experiences. The point is to build a profession so diverse that communities often overlooked now have advocates who can speak directly to them. When we broaden the voices in architecture, we create spaces that reflect, respect, and elevate everyone who calls them home. Thank you Boston Globe for the feature this week! Here’s to fostering a future where every community can see themselves represented—not only in the spaces we design but in the designers behind them. #ArchitectureForAll #DiversityInDesign #InclusiveSpaces

When we think about urban public space, we typically imagine parks, plazas or greenways. But by size, a city's most significant category of public space is actually its streets, meaning that they contain the potential to truly define a city’s identity and to forge relationships between our many citizens, businesses, and cultures. Toronto has a vast network of over 5600 km of streets; this seminar will discuss the potential to use these as a platform for action, as an incredible asset that can be used to improve our City. The design of place-based streets can allow us to address deeper social engagement within and across communities, build climate resilience and improve our public health. As part of the #EvergreenConference2024, Senior Associate Dennis Rijkhoff will outline how to set a practical agenda for improved street design through a greater understanding of bringing together policy, planning and urban design, architecture and landscape architecture, and public engagement to strengthen the resiliency of our urban environment. #UrbanDesign #Toronto #EvergreenBrickWorks https://lnkd.in/g5vGsqnY

This panel discussion is an Australian Architecture Conference fringe event and is open to all to attend, not just conference attendees. Register here: https://aus.archi/9ftr If you are not registered for the conference, toggle the button “Fringe Events Only: select your Fringe event tickets below” then add “Return to the Centre: The Future of the Australian CBD” to your checkout cart, and register your attendance. As our environments of work and home profoundly changed through lockdowns, value was shown where it had previously been overlooked, and new possibilities for how we occupied our physical environments emerged – sometimes radically. Alongside these rapid adaptations, climate impacts and significant rises in living costs have been exerting their own influence on the patterns of our daily urban life. What’s this now mean for our disrupted city centres? What economic, social, and cultural rhythms do we want to see develop in the future? In the aftermath of the pandemic, what lessons and values about the importance of the CBD as a key hub now guide us? Just what is the future of the Australian CBD? Join leading figures from across government, the arts, business and the built environment in a dynamic panel discussion. This event will be held at the Edge in Federation Square, and is presented in partnership with ALSPEC and Open House Melbourne. When: Thursday 9 May 2024 Time: 4:30pm arrival, 5pm start. Finishing at 6:30pm Where: The Edge, Federation Square, Melbourne VIC 3000 Panellists: Cr Nicholas Reece – Deputy Lord Mayor, City of Melbourne Philip Oldfield – Head of School, Built Environment, Faculty of Arts, Design and Architecture, UNSW Kellie Payne – Director, Workplace Strategy Team, Bates Smart Katrina Sedgwick - Director & CEO at Melbourne Arts Precinct Corporation (MAP Co) Mark Tait - Group Executive & Head of Development, Investa