Why Leading Global Architecture Firm Gensler is Enrolling Fitwel Ambassadors

Best in Building HealthFitwel ChampionsFitwel Ambassadors
Written By Marcos Reynaga

Fitwel 3-star Gensler Seattle Office. Photo © 2020 GENSLER | Heywood Chan

As part of our ongoing series featuring Fitwel’s Best in Building Health award winners, we’re spotlighting Gensler, one of our Fitwel Champions, a member of our Technical Advisory Board, and officially the Company with the Most Fitwel Ambassadors of All Time!

At this year’s Best in Building Health awards, Gensler won the Highest Scoring Design Project of 2022 and the Highest Scoring Design Commercial Interior Space v2.1 for its work with Marriott International, Boston Properties, and the Bernstein Companies on the Marriott International Global Headquarters in Bethesda, Maryland. Gensler's Fitwel Ambassadors also helped the company win Best in Building Health 2021 for San Francisco International Airport's Harvey Milk Terminal 1 and the American Physical Therapy Association Centennial Center. Gensler's Fitwel Ambassadors have impacted 72,000 people with their Fitwel-certified projects!

Image: Stacey Olson, Global Wellness Practice Area Leader, Gensler.

Stacey Olson, Global Wellness Practice Area Leader and Fitwel Ambassador, discusses their accomplishments.

Why does Gensler invest in the Fitwel Ambassador Program?
Our Wellness practice area prioritizes science-based design solutions. This enables our teams to deliver quantifiable health and well-being benefits to our clients, while growing their own personal education on how to communicate that value, through the Fitwel Ambassador Program.

Now through July 15, 2023, enter code 30FORBIBH for 30% off the Ambassador Course during checkout!

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How does Best in Building Health align with Gensler’s mission and values?
Ultimately, it’s about the impact of space on people and the community. Buildings are no longer spaces for people to work, live or play. They must be incubators for human connection, which provide occupants with experience and resources. This can be complex and multifaceted as people are themselves.

Our mission is to apply an inclusive design approach, incorporating solutions that enable all users of the space and site to enjoy environments that meet and exceed their unique needs for social interaction and professional development. These are spaces that embrace and grow organizational cultures, creating kinships and identity. They flex the physical and social muscles of occupants, while protecting and nurturing their individual emotional and intellectual growth. This is how we create a better world, through the power of design.

Are there specific strategies that are used more often than others?
We take a holistic approach to integrating health and wellbeing strategies throughout our offices and projects. This includes programmatic, policy, and physical and experiential design strategies. Specific examples might include dedicated mother's and wellness rooms, and the incorporation of a myriad of active design strategies to keep people moving in space.

Do any certified projects stand out? 
Our Ambassadors value every opportunity to elevate the quality of the health and wellness experience for our projects. We are, however, very excited to share the amazing integration of wellbeing in Gensler’s most recently certified office, in Seattle. We are especially proud of this project, as it is the first Gensler office to receive 3 Star Certification.

Gensler Seattle Office. All Photos © 2020 GENSLER | Heywood Chan

About Gensler
Gensler's mission is to make the world a better place through the power of design. Human health and wellness are critical components in completing that equation. They recognize the enormous responsibility they have as designers and embrace the impact that their work creates for clients and communities.

Gensler has a deep commitment to a people-first design approach and to using science-based strategies that inform their thinking, which includes environmental stewardship, occupant well-being, and community benefit. The Center for Active Design’s (CfAD) Fitwel program aligns with that commitment, and provides for an ESG, health-based framework that they embed in their own offices and deliver to their clients through Fitwel Consulting. Gensler's team is currently managing approximately 50 Fitwel projects and leading the certification effort for over 12 million square feet globally. To learn more, visit www.gensler.com.

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Marcos Reynaga
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