In this episode of I Hear Design, guests Janet Pogue, principal and global workplace research leader for Gensler’s DC office and Natalie Engels, principal, work sector leader and design director in the firm’s San Jose office to talk about Gensler’s 2022 Design Forecast. In this insightful conversation, Pogue and Engels explore how "The Great Disruption" has impacted the way architects and designers are looking at space now and in what ways will it impact the office. They also answer questions about how we design for sustainability and health now, and how do we ensure the built environment is flexible enough to deal with the kind of ongoing change we’re seeing?
Meet Our Guests:
Janet Pogue McLaurin, AIA, FIIDA, NCIDQ, LEED® AP, Principal, Global Director Workplace Research
Janet, a Principal at Gensler, has spent almost four decades in both the Denver and Washington, D.C. offices. She co-founded Gensler’s Shanghai and Beijing offices and was Managing Director of the Denver office for a decade. A registered Architect, she has served on the Gensler’s Board of Directors and currently serves on Gensler’s Practice Area Management Committee for the firm.
Natalie Engels, IIDA, LEEP AP, Principal, Global Work Sector Leader, Design Director
Natalie has focused her 20+year career on designing experiences that help companies like Adobe, Palo Alto Networks, Synopsys, and Amazon innovate. As a Design Principal and expert in spaces for the Technology industry, her design and future casting have been featured in WSJ’s Workplace of the Future, at Cisco’s Workplace Forum, Adobe’s Future of Work Think Tank, and 7x7’s Placemaking, Perspective, and Process event. Natalie believes that design has the ability to enhance the human experience by revealing a company's Values and Purpose within that space so that their employees can thrive and create the best work of their careers.
She was named one of Silicon Valley’s most influential “40 under 40,” and is a former President of IIDA’s Northern California chapter and served on the board of Silicon Valley Creates. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Interior Design from Louisiana State University.
