Practice as Project Lecture: Doug Gensler

Doug Gensler, a managing director at Gensler Boston, discussed the history of Gensler from its founding, and discussed the advantages that Gensler provides to clients because of its size and capacity. By serving a broad array of client needs, Gensler has been able to build a massive client list of individuals and corporations. Gensler made the case that the flexibility of the firm’s client-oriented approach gives designers a significant purchase on global changes in the building industries. Students engaged Doug about the challenges of managing a large firm, and the strategies Gensler employs to manage eclectic design interests. In the ensuing conversation, students interrogated the extent to which design agency of this kind comes at a cost to the aesthetic, cultural, and political agency of designers.
As Co-Managing Director for Gensler Boston, Doug provides leadership and strategic direction to teams engaged with clients on multidisciplinary projects across geographic boundaries. Doug is a Gensler Principal who has served multiple rotations on the Gensler Management Committee. A Registered Architect, he brought his architectural expertise and talent to an ongoing role as Northeast Regional Practice Area Leader for Corporate Campus Headquarters. Doug earned a Bachelor of Architecture from Cornell University. He is a member of the Boston Architectural Center Advisory Board and Cornell University College of Architecture Advisory Council.
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