2025 Design Trends with Gensler: Insights on Sustainability, Adaptive Reuse, and the Future Workplace

Join I Hear Design host Robert Nieminen as he sits down with Gensler Co-CEOs Jordan Goldstein and Elizabeth Brink to unpack their 2025 Design Forecast. Discover how five key trends—experience-driven lifestyle districts, sustainable design innovations, adaptive reuse, attainable housing, and the future workplace—are reshaping the built environment. From cutting-edge advancements in materials to creative conversions of aging buildings, this episode explores how architecture and design are tackling global challenges and creating human-centered solutions. Don’t miss this deep dive into the future of design and architecture!

Transcript

Robert Nieminen:

Hi, Jordan. Hi, Elizabeth. Welcome to I Hear Design. It’s great to have you both here. Thanks for joining us.

Jordan Goldstein:

Thanks for having us.

Elizabeth Brink:

It’s great to be here.

Robert Nieminen:

Yeah, great. Well, I’m excited to have you both here as well because I believe this is the third year running that we’ve had people from Gensler on the podcast to discuss your annual design forecast, which is always such a fascinating read for me because it really delves deep into such interesting topics and provides some really great insights into what’s happening in our industry, which I value a lot as an editor. And we’ll get into some of those details in just a minute. But before we do, could you each introduce yourselves to our listeners and tell us what you do at Gensler and anything else you’d like to share? Elizabeth, you wanna go first?

Elizabeth Brink:

Great. Again, really happy to be here. My name is Elizabeth Brink: . I am Co-CEO of Gensler with my wonderful partner, Jordan Goldstein:, who is also on the podcast. And I am based in the Los Angeles office of Gensler. I’ve been a design strategist and urban designer for many, many years at Gensler, and I’m really happy at this point to be stepping into a more global role after 20 years here at Gensler. I’m really making sure that our design purpose and our mission is part of everything we do as we continue to operate and grow globally.

Robert Nieminen:

Sure. Great. Jordan, what about you?

Jordan Goldstein:

Sure. Well, it’s great to be with you and great to be here with my partner, Elizabeth. So I’m Jordan Goldstein:. I’m Co-CEO of Gensler. I’m based out of Washington, D.C. I’ve been at the firm 28 years—actually came here right out of grad school. So this is an opportunity to go from, I guess, what do you call it, junior guy, intern, whatever, to opportunities to be Co-CEO with my good friend Elizabeth here.

Robert Nieminen:

Wow.

Jordan Goldstein:

And I’m very much focused on the design work and creative voice that we have around the world and the opportunities we have to really make an impact across the 110 countries that we’re working in globally.

Robert Nieminen:

Great. Well, it’s wonderful to have you both here. And as I mentioned earlier, we are here to talk about Gensler’s *2025 Design Forecast*, and we’ve got a lot of ground to cover. So let’s dive right in by talking about your research from a bigger picture perspective. One of the things I appreciated about the forecast is that it opens with a sense of optimism about the future, which is something I think we all need a little more of these days. So what are some of the key drivers behind this sort of positive outlook for the design and architecture industry that you highlight in the report?

Elizabeth Brink:

Thank you, Robert, for asking that question. I think, just to step back a little bit before we dive into it, for some of the listeners who may not know, every year, in order to create this forecast, we go out and tap on the expertise across the firm of our top thinkers, our top practitioners, to really understand what’s going on at the project level. So that’s where all of this information is coming from.

The sense of optimism—this key thing about the human experience, creating adaptable spaces that really prioritize the human experience and a sense of community, and driving more sustainable solutions—that’s coming from the ground up. That’s really coming from what we’re hearing at the project level, working directly with our clients in our communities and our cities. That shift we’re seeing—one of the things driving so much of that optimism—is that shift toward people really wanting to activate their environment. Whether it is their workplace, their cities, or their communities, they want to have spaces and places that serve the needs of people and that inspire people to really come together.

Robert Nieminen:

Mm-hmm.

Elizabeth Brink:

We’re seeing that more and more, coming from the research that we do by talking to all of our individuals across the firm.

Robert Nieminen:

Sure. Did you wanna add something, or—no, go ahead.

Elizabeth Brink:

I was just gonna say, leaning into the sense of optimism, I think we get that from being designers. If you’re going out into the world, you really want to create places that have that kind of impact. Designing something that could be better is really an inherently optimistic act for all of us, and we lean into that. As designers, we see a problem, we want to go solve it. We want to figure out how to make things better. What’s really wonderful, what we’re seeing this year more than ever before, is so many of our clients wanting to come along with us on that journey. They’re leaning into us to be those creative, optimistic, problem-solving partners. You’re seeing that come through in the design forecast—that people want to come off the sidelines and really be creating and making these spaces. It is really a transformational time that we’re excited about.

Robert Nieminen:

Yeah. Jordan, did you want to add to that?

Jordan Goldstein:

Sure. I think Elizabeth said it well. We’ve certainly seen through our collaborative practice that design is not a solo art. It’s made richer and better by the voices of many. Through our 33 practice areas across the firm, we recognize that so much of what we’re talking about in our design forecasts are themes that are really interwoven together. It’s impacting so much of the project work, creating opportunities, and certainly driving the creative solutions we’re putting into the marketplace right now.

We call it *5 for 25*, which are five themes that we can certainly talk about today—trends that are key opportunities not only for the design industry in the year ahead but also for the larger global marketplace.

Robert Nieminen:

Yeah, and that leads me to my next question. Can you talk at a high level about what the five trends are that are shaping design in 2025 and what makes them particularly relevant right now?

Jordan Goldstein:

For sure. Why don’t I highlight them, and then we can talk more about them as we go through this dialogue together?

Robert Nieminen:

Sure.

Jordan Goldstein:

We feel like there are five trends that have really risen to the top, and we highlight those in the design forecast. The first is the notion of experience-driven lifestyle districts. This is about reimagining our cities with vibrant, mixed-use destinations that connect people through immersive, engaging experiences. It’s no longer about sole-purpose parts of the city—it’s about that meshing together in a very differentiated recipe.

The next one is a strong demand for sustainable design. We’ve talked about sustainability over the years, but this year we feel like innovations in materials and building processes are addressing climate risks and driving value. We believe this focus in 2025 will be a differentiator.

The next is around conversions—the adaptive reuse boom. We believe it’s going to take off at an amazing scale in 2025. This is about creative conversions of aging buildings as economic and environmental imperatives—bringing new life to old bones. It’s not necessarily just office to residential, which has certainly been out there, but it’s office to office, office to clinic, retail to sports and entertainment, retail to health and wellness.

The fourth is attainable housing—tackling the global housing crisis with actionable policies and inventive design. We believe 2025 will see a real step up in the attainable housing conversation.

And then the fifth one is around the future workplace. There’s always a discussion about what’s going to happen in the workplace in the next year. Our feeling is that the future workplace is now. We’re seeing workplace design prioritize employee experience and align with expectations, both from individuals going into the workplace and tenant demands.

Robert Nieminen:

Sure. OK, great. I’d love to dive in a little more deeply into each of these trends. Going back to experience-driven lifestyle districts, what would you say distinguishes these districts from traditional urban planning strategies? How do they enhance community engagement?

Elizabeth Brink:

I’ll jump on this one because I’m really passionate about it. Jordan explained it well—it’s about bringing together multiple types of spaces: residential, food and beverage, performance venues, sports, and community spaces. It’s really about a different kind of mix as opposed to what might be more traditional, which is a small downtown area or an urban core surrounded by more residential spaces.

By bringing in that mix, you create vibrancy where people want to be together. They run into one another. There’s this sort of spontaneous connection. The other thing we’re seeing is that these districts are driven by experience—whether it’s immersive, participatory experiences, performance spaces, community gathering spots, or transit hubs. There’s often an anchor that these mixed uses come together around to create a sense of belonging, more of a neighborhood feel, and a sense of 24-hour activity and vibrancy in these areas.

We’re seeing it both in new developments—something like W Edge in Los Angeles, which is a transit-oriented development that includes workspace, community space, retail, food and beverage, and residential—and in historic districts, like the Fulton Market District in Chicago. That’s a historic fabric that now includes office, residential, and this experiential food and beverage mix. These are the kinds of environments bringing people together—places people want to make an effort to be in. We’re seeing a lot of that mix, experience, and participation drive these districts.

Robert Nieminen:

Yeah. And then we mentioned sustainability earlier—sustainable design innovations that are part of the report. I recorded part one of a three-part series we’re doing on sustainability just last week, and it was interesting because our guest mentioned there’s some trepidation with a new administration coming in January around what energy policy might look like and how that might be impacted. But there seemed to be this sense that clients are really driving sustainability now. They’re asking for it, and it’s becoming a driving force for innovation and value as well. My question to you is, what are the most exciting advancements in materials, construction processes, and innovations that Gensler is focusing on for 2025 that you highlight in the report?

Jordan Goldstein:

Thanks, Robert. Definitely, in 2025, sustainable design is going to be a driving force in real estate. Environmentally conscious buildings are commanding top value and reinforcing the flight to quality—differentiated buildings that tell a story people can connect with, whether personally or in alignment with company values.

In terms of advancements, the zero-carbon and low-carbon cement revolution that’s out there right now is going to see a lot of traction. Low-carbon interior finishes, certainly mass timber—the ability for that to enter different markets at more competitive price points—and prefabrication and robotics are all contributing to this story.

For us, we created Gensler’s Product Sustainability Standards. We felt there needed to be a baseline threshold for materials and finishes to be considered for projects. That baseline sets sustainability guidelines for materials in our library, and our hope is that this creates a ripple effect through the industry—prompting manufacturers, vendors, and distributors to align with this thinking.

It’s not just about the materials themselves, though—it’s about the strategies and combinations of materials and systems that enhance sustainability. Adaptive reuse strategies for buildings, weather scenario planning when looking at sites, modular construction, prefabrication, and advancements in robotics will drive the carbon footprint story.

One project we’re really excited about is the new Under Armour headquarters in Baltimore, Maryland, which opens next month. It’s a net-zero operational building, around 300,000 square feet, and we believe it will set a new standard. It’s mass timber construction with over 3,000 solar panels on the roof and campus to offset electricity. There are also over 200 geothermal wells, each 500 feet deep, to provide energy for heating and cooling. It’s a performance building for a performance apparel company—a perfect alignment.

Robert Nieminen:

Yeah, that’s a great story. I’m looking forward to seeing that project as well. You mentioned adaptive reuse and the conversion boom earlier, and personally, I love adaptive reuse projects for so many reasons. Among them is the fact that, as you said earlier, Jordan, giving new life to old bones is one of the most sustainable strategies architects and designers can employ. It’s about extending the life of existing buildings, preserving embodied carbon, and revitalizing areas. The forecast mentions creative conversions of aging and discounted buildings. Can you share some examples of innovative adaptive reuse projects and how they contribute to the economic and environmental resilience of cities?

Elizabeth Brink:

I love that you framed it that way, Robert—understanding conversions as part of fundamental sustainability strategies, particularly the structural aspects of buildings. That’s one of our key strategies for creating resilient, sustainable cities.

We’re seeing this in everything from office-to-residential conversions, which have been widely talked about. Take Pearl House in New York, for example—a conversion of an aging office building into 588 residential units, with some additional units added on top. From a sustainability perspective, it saved an estimated 20,000 metric tons of CO2 just by reusing the existing structure.

Another favorite of mine is the Frisco Public Library in Frisco, Texas. It was a rocket factory that was converted into a public library. You now have these incredible community spaces created by reusing an existing structure.

We’re also seeing big-box retail conversions. These spaces, which have dotted the landscape for years, are being converted into office spaces that utilize those large volumes to create unique environments. Sustainable features like bringing natural light deep into the buildings are added during the conversion process. It really runs the gamut of possibilities. Jordan, do you have any favorites you want to add?

Jordan Goldstein:

Yeah, I think there are a couple. You hit some great ones. What’s really interesting is seeing it across so many building types. The big-box retail one is particularly fascinating—taking spaces that are everywhere globally and converting them. For example, the Wayfair store we worked on in Wilmette, Illinois, is really interesting because it brought together the digital and physical experience through a conversion.

Elizabeth and I are also excited about the opportunities in sports and entertainment conversions—big boxes becoming sports destinations, live music venues, or cultural and rehearsal spaces. There’s real creativity emerging in this space. It combines sustainability and opportunity to rethink what these buildings can be.

Robert Nieminen:

Right, right. And I imagine part of the value is in revitalizing areas while avoiding demolition and landfill waste—so it contributes to both the economic and environmental resilience of cities.

Jordan Goldstein:

Exactly. One of the things Elizabeth and I have really watched over the last couple of years is how this ties back to our entrepreneurial spirit at Gensler. During COVID, one individual in our Toronto office developed an algorithm that analyzes buildings for conversion potential—like office to residential. That tool has taken off. What we’ve done since then is expand its application—if a building doesn’t work for residential, can it work for something else? This year, we’ve even applied it to senior living. Sometimes the floor plate that doesn’t work for residential works perfectly for senior housing.

Robert Nieminen:

Interesting, yeah. Speaking of residential, we’ve all heard so much about the housing crisis. You both mentioned the office-to-residential conversions that address some of the stranded Class A assets. The report identifies attainable housing as a top priority for next year. What specific zoning or policy changes are critical to catalyze these developments, and how is Gensler contributing to that effort?

Elizabeth Brink:

Jordan introduced this idea of attainable housing well. We’ve been working with a lot of cities to understand opportunities within their markets. One of the big takeaways is the need to innovate around housing models, particularly for attainable and affordable housing.

We recently completed a research project with Pew Charitable Trust, looking at the viability of different models—like co-living arrangements with smaller individual units surrounding shared amenity spaces such as kitchens, bathrooms, laundry, and living areas. These innovative models are exciting, especially for older building stock that doesn’t lend itself to traditional market-rate housing conversions.

However, to implement these models, we need to work closely with cities on policies like unit sizing, layouts, parking, and transit accessibility. It really depends on the specific location. Outdated zoning codes and approval processes often create barriers. We’re digging into those challenges with jurisdictions as we explore these new models.

Robert Nieminen:

Sure, sure. OK. The last trend identified in the report was about the workplace in the future and I guess you know, you could say in many ways the future workplace is already here now, right?

So how has Gensler helping clients create spaces? That part prioritize employee experience and align with the evolving tenant expectations that we're hearing so much about.

Jordan Goldstein:   25:37

Yeah, sure.

I mean the workplace is is no longer just a place to work, it's a space to build culture, support employees to get the mentorship.

That was certainly something we all saw.

That was needed during and missing during the COVID years. You know, we feel like 2025 and we alluded to this in our in the forecast, you know the tenants will continue to choose premium amenity rich buildings.

You know, and landlords will looking to complete to compete.

In that landscape will need to be really laser focused on bringing these types of spaces and places to the marketplace.

You know, so we're already seeing that.

Robert Nieminen:   26:16

Mm hmm.

Jordan Goldstein:   26:17

We're already seeing now that the capital markets have shown some, you know, some movement that these design opportunities are really starting to pop up, not just in the United States but abroad and creating some really powerful opportunities to take these things that we've been talking about today.

And bring them into the next generation workplace.

You know a couple examples.

You know, this one really brings it all together. Is Edelman's HQ in London.

This is the PR company.

You know it's it's a conversion.

It's, you know, an older space. So it's bringing that, that new life to the old bones, and it becomes a wonderful creative loft environment, but built into that, you know, is something that's necessary in their practice, which is.

Places for collaboration and fostering creativity.

So there's a flexibility in.

In that design that allows for huge diversity of work styles, you know there's choice in the work day and it's that notion of creating that office as a destination, not an obligation. And across the different clients we're working with, we're seeing it more and more examples that were.

Able to bring into play where we're bringing agility in, in the workplace. So you know it's instead of, you know.

A larger space that is, you know, designed with a single purpose in mind.

That space is have flexibility.

That can move around that they don't necessarily involve hard construction do that they can use next Gen. thinking and and different plays of and mixes of furniture to to do that.

One other one I'll just add on to that is there's a project in Chicago, 360 N Green. So this is a A, you know, a facility, a building that's designed with, you know, Wellness, collaboration and comfort kind of all in mind and.

You know, it's really, you know, setting itself up is not just a a a great platform for differentiated workplace, but it's a building that in total thinks about that experience holistically, so that you know the mix of of tenants that may be in there, that they're all benef.

Robert Nieminen:   28:27

Mm hmm.

Jordan Goldstein:   28:33

From that.

Robert Nieminen:   28:34

Yeah, yeah.

Elizabeth Brink:    28:36

Jordan Jordan really explained it well and I just want to add on a little bit in terms of the the workplace side of things too. You know, when you when you ask the question about how are we working with clients? I think during the COVID time period we.

Robert Nieminen:   28:36

Did you want?

Sure.

Elizabeth Brink:    28:53

Evolved in our relationship with clients and we really leaned in and created some deep, really deep relationships with them trying to understand.

Their workforce.

What their people need, what their businesses need, how they can be navigating this changing time.

Become true or creative and strategic partners with many of our clients so that as we're coming out and we've gone through a period of experimentation in the workplace and and trying new things and what works for for the people, what works for the organization, this is how we.

Getting to these, what we're now saying is the workplace of the future is here because we've gone through this period of experimentation and working.

Robert Nieminen:   29:32

Right.

Elizabeth Brink:    29:36

As really as trusted advisors with those clients, it is so much more about.

What a specific office needs, what a specific organization needs and what they're trying to achieve with their people than a standard.

Robert Nieminen:   29:45

Mm hmm.

Elizabeth Brink:    29:50

Set of solutions that should be applied for for everybody.

It's, you know that that partnership has allowed us to really be pushing forward in terms of the work we're doing in the workplace and creating those spaces that are, as Jordan said, the the destinations that people want to be coming to and want to be spending time in.

Robert Nieminen:   30:10

Yeah.

Elizabeth Brink:    30:11

And want to be engaging in.

Robert Nieminen:   30:19

Mm hmm.

Elizabeth Brink:    30:19

And we're seeing more and more that that is so appreciated, not only by the organizations, but by the people who are are working there.

Robert Nieminen:   30:28

Yeah. Yeah. And that really seems to me that, you know, good design is is really sort of becoming the solution to the challenge that a lot of companies are facing and getting people to come back to the office. You know, after COVID as, as you alluded to and.

One of the best I think phrases that I heard.

Maybe it was last year that someone said, you know.

Companies now have to earn, earn the commute right?

You know, like give people a reason to come and that's what it sounds like.

You know you all are alluding to with with really creating these flexible dynamic spaces and places where people want to come to so.

Elizabeth Brink:    31:01

Yeah.

Robert Nieminen:   31:01

One of the other questions I had for you was just, you know, how are your clients reacting to the trends in the forecast?

Have you have they had much exposure to them yet?

What's been the reaction?

Jordan Goldstein:   31:12

Thanks for asking, Rob.

I actually think that's what's what's great is it's instantaneous reaction these days. This year for the 2025 design forecast. Yeah, we did.

Up we did print like we've done in the past, but we did a robust digital platform as well. And so clients have really been able to just jump right into the full digital immersion side of this. And you know, super enthusiastic, you know, particularly around the sustainability sust.

Robert Nieminen:   31:27

Mm hmm.

Jordan Goldstein:   31:38

Design.

The whole conversion conversation.

And wanting to know more about mixed-use lifestyle districts.

What I what?

I think Elizabeth and I were also pleasantly surprised about was, you know, we talked about it. I think Elizabeth said it well about, you know, design being inherently optimistic act and the benefit of, you know, optimism in today's world is that we're having clients that are reaching out.

And just saying thank you. Thanks for putting out thoughts about 2025.

That have some bold, bold thoughts, bold statements, bold ideas.

And that's a refreshing way to go into the holidays and thinking about how they themselves are mapping out their 2025.

Robert Nieminen:   32:21

Yeah.

Elizabeth Brink:    32:22

And and I think we've also had a lot of clients wanting to hear more wanting to lean in, in more. And one of the things that we started last year and we're going to be continuing this year are taking some of these trends and really creating events that.

Robert Nieminen:   32:27

Right.

Elizabeth Brink:    32:37

Are local to to our cities, to our offices that dig into one one of them, one of them that is incredibly relevant to clients in that area. We call them design forecast local and you know they become incredible opportunities for.

Robert Nieminen:   32:44

Right.

Elizabeth Brink:    32:53

To engage with other stakeholders in their community and in our offices to to talk about what this really means and how this is manifesting.

So we're really excited as we look to 2025.

So you see clients engaging even more so in some of those deeper conversations that each of these trends can trigger.

Robert Nieminen:   33:06

Yeah.

Yeah, I'd love to attend one of those locals.

So if you get a chance, let me know.

Follow Will follow up afterwards, but yeah, that'd be great.

Jordan Goldstein:   33:19

Absolutely for sure.

Elizabeth Brink:    33:20

Yes.

Robert Nieminen:   33:21

Yeah, I'd love to join. So as we kind of start to, you know, close out the conversation here, I wanted to sort of project into the future a little bit.

I mean, obviously the forecast does that, but you know, are there specific areas where you see the greatest appetite for investment and innovation, you know, based on the research that you've done?

Jordan Goldstein:   33:39

Well, I I think Elizabeth and I are excited about a couple of things with regards to what you just asked.

One is that it it.

Not necessarily.

It has to be a singular trend, but it is recognizing that all of these start to really kind of mesh together in different ways. And what we're finding is, you know, how do we help our clients, you know, think through kind of upstream think through you know the.

Opportunities that are in front of them, you know, much more of a strategic positioning of of how we talk about you know.

These opportunities. So the technology overlay, we alluded to it with the conversion tool, you know we've created a series of tools that are really enabling A level of study on sustainability and carbon footprint and material impact on conversions, you know and also you know thinking about you know.

Site optimization. You know, these are types of things.

Even in workplace, you know, looking at how do we bring in AI into.

These different aspects of these trends in a way that allows for, you know, creative discussion, creative iteration, early on in a process well before any shovel hits the ground.

Robert Nieminen:   34:53

Mm hmm.

Elizabeth Brink:    34:55

I there's there's definitely wanting to invest in all of those tools and there is I think we mentioned at the beginning, it's wanting to get off the sidelines, we see a lot of clients who are saying now is the time. You know we we've been sort of waiting.

A little bit and you know, it looks like it might be a good time financially or a little bit better time and let's let's go make an impact and really seeing how much our.

Cities need this kind of thought. This kind of creativity.

In in the solutions and really wanting to look for ways to partner partnering with us, partnering with cities, partnering with different stakeholders, particularly around some of the driving value through sustainability and resilient strategies.

Creating these districts that people want to be coming to, creating workplaces, people want to be coming to, you know, and and definitely the housing.

Needs. It takes all of us to be really creative in.

Solving that problem in different ways in different locations.

Robert Nieminen:   35:59

Yeah. Yeah. And I think you're already touching on my next question, Elizabeth.

But if we were to Fast forward five years, what would you say success would look like for some of these initiatives and trends that you've identified in the in the 2025 forecast?

Jordan Goldstein:   36:14

For sure would be invigorated cities that have really drawn people back to that urban core and in order to do it rapidly, how do you use existing building stock?

Robert Nieminen:   36:22

Mm hmm.

Jordan Goldstein:   36:28

Existing, you know, buildings that are there in a manner like we talked about that starts to bring different uses into those and has a a much more sustainable.

Strategy by using them and you know to that notion of that of that lifestyle districts that are much more experiential that we talked about.

You know, those invigorated cities are really benefiting from a kind of a real cross pollination, a real mix of of uses and work, you know, opportunities live opportunities, play opportunities, you know, and it really all that benefiting the larger community.

Robert Nieminen:   37:11

Sure.

Elizabeth, did you wanna add to that or?

Elizabeth Brink:    37:14

Yeah, yes and no.

Robert Nieminen:   37:16

Yeah, I'd say, yeah.

Elizabeth Brink:    37:16

It's, you know, I think I think we share a really strong vision for the opportunity that design can have to create thriving cities.

Robert Nieminen:   37:21

Mm hmm.

Elizabeth Brink:    37:25

I think another one you know really is that, you know, wouldn't it be wonderful if we're not talking about needing to create attainable housing in five years?

Wouldn't it be wonderful if we're talking about elevating the experience of it and not just?

Creating it more, I think you know if we have cities that can weather some of the climate.

Challenges that are really coming at them from, you know, the fires to the flooding, to the Tornadoes, it it's happening more and more. And if through this process, you know, things that are innovative now.

Are common, you know, in the future and and common best practices to use and we can therefore innovate beyond them.

Robert Nieminen:   38:03

Hmm.

Elizabeth Brink:    38:08

So it would be really pushing these solutions and then we tackle more, more challenges as we move to the future and see how design can really roll up its sleeves.

Robert Nieminen:   38:19

Yeah, yeah.

Elizabeth Brink:    38:19

To be a really useful tool.

Robert Nieminen:   38:21

Yeah, well said.

And to your point about best practices, what what key takeaways are actionable insights do you hope that our listeners would gain from the 2025 design forecast?

Like what?

What, whether they're designers or clients or just people, you know, in the community?

What would you hope that they'll walk away with from? With this? You know, in this conversation.

Jordan Goldstein:   38:41

So the the the wonderful conversation that we've been having now for many years around sustainability is it's not, you know.

It's not the people's responsibility that are sitting over there or somebody's, you know, task that's over there really something that everyone leaning into that creates a true change and really can create that ripple effect.

So certainly as designers, we feel like we have a responsibility to bring that thinking to the table.

But being able to then have a dialogue with those around the table that recognize the value, the importance, and that it doesn't necessarily mean wholesale change, it may mean that just thinking differently about one thing could have a significant impact on the larger whole.

Elizabeth Brink:    39:33

It's it's taking action, but that action could be having a dialogue could be considering a new way of thinking about something.

Could be, you know, having that extra conversation around a sustainable strategy or bringing, you know, a creative solution to housing or a conversion.

Robert Nieminen:   39:41

Mm hmm.

Elizabeth Brink:    39:53

How could we convert this space rather than tear it down into the dialogue?

So again, Jordan said, it really, really well.

It can really be about bringing any of that into the dialogue.

Jordan Goldstein:   40:06

And hopefully all all 5 trends that we put out there, you know convey, you know, a message that you know in 2025, you know we, you know, all of us here at Gensler are really, you know, excited about the opportunities, you know, to shape the larger.

Robert Nieminen:   40:06

Sure.

Jordan Goldstein:   40:23

Human experience through the power of design that through through that that there is an opportunity for true impact.

Robert Nieminen:   40:31

Yeah, yeah, I love that.

Such a great message and and we align with that with our brand as well.

You know design with purpose.

That's what we love to promote to our listeners to to our readers of the magazine as well.

But so last question for you both, where can our listeners go to get a copy of the 2025 design forecast from Gensler?

Jordan Goldstein:   40:47

0gensler.com right there on the home page.

Robert Nieminen:   40:51

Alright, simple yeah.

Jordan Goldstein:   40:53

Yeah, please join us.

Come to the site, download, engage in and certainly join us in the dialogue about.

Robert Nieminen:   41:02

Absolutely. Well, thanks for that. And I'll be sure to drop the link into the show notes as well. So people can download from there.

Well, I think that's it for the episode today.

Thank you. Again Jordan and Elizabeth for being on the podcast and sharing your insights with our listeners.

I really appreciate it.

Elizabeth Brink:    41:16

Thank you, Robert.

Really. Pleasure to be here.

Jordan Goldstein:   41:19

Robert, thanks for having us.

Really great dialogue.

Robert Nieminen:   41:23

For sure.

Well, for our listeners out there, stay tuned for an upcoming three-part series we'll be doing on sustainability starting in January.

Please remember to follow our show and tell your colleagues about I hear design. If you like conversations like the one we had today.

Thank you for tuning in and as always, be well, everyone.