Meet Gensler Dallas, one of 49 global offices working in architecture, design, and planning. Business Council of the Arts will honor Gensler Dallas with the New Initiatives - Small Award at the 33rd annual Obelisk Awards this year. This award recognizes businesses for significant engagement with the arts/culture within the past three years, and Stephen Walsh, Design Director, will accept on Gensler Dallas’ behalf.
Gensler Dallas
Gensler was founded in 1965 and now serves more than 3,500 active clients in virtually every industry. Gensler strives to “Create a Better World Through the Power of Design” in their work and service. Although a global firm, each office keeps strong community connections to give back locally. Stephen Walsh shares, “We are committed to creating spaces and places that strengthen neighborhoods, improve local economies, enhance health and well-being, and make everyone feel safe and welcome.”
Here in North Texas, that is evident in their partnership with the Creative Arts Center of Dallas. Their relationship began in 2017 when Gensler’s Dustin Mattiza joined the CAC board upon graduation from the Business Council for the Arts’ Leadership Arts Institute. Mattiza then moved to Austin, Texas so Walsh filled his seat on the board.
The following year, what began as a personal pledge to CAC quickly evolved into a corporate commitment when CAC received a $200,000 grant from the City of Dallas Office of Arts and Culture to improve their building, which was originally built during the Depression by the Works Project Administration as an elementary school. Gensler Dallas provided in-kind services to design and manage the building of new offices, gallery, and ADA-compliant restrooms.
Despite significant setbacks during the project – additions to costs and plans, permitting, and of course, COVID-19, the Gensler Dallas team was “guided by determined optimism” in the purpose and power of their work as well as how they performed it. Diana Pollak, Executive Director of the CAC says, “Gensler is the world’s largest architecture and design firm responsible for some of the most influential and prominent projects that are shaping the future of Dallas and neighboring cities, including 400 Record, Toyota Music Factory, Legacy West, Hall of State at Fair Park restoration, and The Star at Frisco. But the firm works in partnership with CAC just as it does with its larger clients…and showed incredible patience, steadfastness, and fortitude.”
With construction almost complete, the Creative Arts Center of Dallas will have a new space for many years to come, and there, citizen artists will be inspired by Gensler Dallas’ architecture and design as they discover, develop, and express their artistic vision. Together, Gensler and their community partners “help foster the well-being of the next generation of artists and designers through the support, education, and training of students, to help ensure a diverse and inclusive future.”
