Gensler Offices – San Diego

Gensler San Diego worked directly with Dempsey Construction to realize their innovative office design, which features multiple collaboration areas, highlights the firm's commitment to wellbeing, and enhances connectivity to the community. The project transformed the envelope of a legacy office building, promoting the studio's culture, enhancing community engagement, and advocating for sustainability, health, and wellness in the new workspace. To support the firm's collaborative culture, a section of the second floor was removed to allow a flowing grand stair to connect the ground floor with upper levels, creating a vertical social spine that encourages movement and interaction. The open stair acts as both circulation and gathering space, where impromptu conversations and reviews naturally occur. The design prioritizes access to daylight and views, opening the previously segmented floor plates to create a more transparent and connected environment. Collaboration zones are distributed throughout the office rather than concentrated in a single area, supporting both planned teamwork and spontaneous exchanges. Wellness is embedded into the design through amenities such as ergonomic workstations, quiet rooms for focused work, and spaces that encourage physical movement. The project also strengthens the studio's connection to the broader San Diego design community, with areas that can host public events, critiques, and industry gatherings. Sustainable strategies include energy-efficient lighting, improved building envelope performance, and materials selected for low environmental impact. The transformation of the legacy building into a modern studio demonstrates how adaptive reuse can deliver a high-quality workplace while reducing embodied carbon. The result is an office that reflects Gensler's San Diego studio identity, supports the firm's design process, and serves as a platform for engagement with the local architecture and design community.