Ed Wood's top pick: New York Times, New York, 2007. Photography by Nic Lehoux.
The sheer size of Gensler—5,000-plus staffers spread across 46 offices in 16 countries—is one of the things that makes the firm so unique. But what makes a firm of such vast size work is its entrepreneurial structure. “We are a self-governing, self-sustaining firm with a rotating leadership,” explains co-CEO and co-regional managing principal Andy Cohen. “It’s an incredible collaborative team—it’s not just one person at the helm.” North American co-regional managing principal Robin Klehr Avia elaborates on the beauty of the collective approach: “We believe in a constellation of stars. Any one of our 24 design partners could have their own firm and be honored at the Interior Design Hall of Fame, but then they would not have the type of collaboration they have here at Gensler. People put their egos aside and do great work as a result of that.”