Gensler’s 2025 Design Forecast Reveals Trends Shaping Urban Transformation

Since 2013, the report has highlighted trends shaping the future; this year’s edition offers a blueprint for sustainable, human-centered spaces and evolving city dynamics

SAN FRANCISCO — Today, global architecture and design firm Gensler unveils its 2025 Design Forecast, spotlighting five transformative forces set to shape the future of design and urban life worldwide. The publication identifies the top global design trends that will impact the real estate and built environment in 2025, emphasizing human-centered, adaptable spaces and a shift toward resilient urban environments. With forward-thinking research and strategic advice, the trend report empowers clients and industry partners to tackle today’s critical challenges and create positive impact in their communities.

Jordan Goldstein and Elizabeth Brink, Gensler Co-CEOs: “This year’s Design Forecast shows how bold, imaginative design can respond to global challenges and drive real world impact. We are in a truly transformative moment for our industry, one that calls for breakthrough ideas and innovative solutions that transform the human experience. Looking ahead, we’re optimistic about design’s ability to create a more sustainable future that inspires and supports people in meaningful ways.”

The trends identify five key dynamics driving the future of cities, from the reimagining of urban centers as community-centric hubs to the global surge in sustainable design:

• Experience-Driven Lifestyle Districts Reignite Global Cities: Mixed-use lifestyle and entertainment districts will take center stage in 2025 as the new anchors for cities looking to drive community engagement and bring people together around visceral shared experiences. Hospitality, retail, sports, and residential spaces make up the mix of these experience-driven areas, whose rise is also driving demand for safe streets and reliable transit options.
• Demand for Sustainable Design Supercharges Innovation and Values: With organizations everywhere increasingly wary of climate risk, buildings designed with resilient and sustainable strategies are trading at premium values. This sustainable surge is also driving demand for game-changing innovations in construction processes and the materials industry. Adaptive reuse of old buildings, energy-efficient designs, weather-scenario planning, and other green techniques are anticipating local climate challenges while lowering waste and carbon. Solutions such as mass timber, low- or no-carbon interior finishes and furnishings, and zero-carbon cement are leading a materials revolution.
• Deeply Discounted Buildings Drive a Conversion Boom: With aging office buildings and other devalued assets trading at deeply discounted rates, the adaptive reuse boom is poised to create valuable new real estate beyond just office to residential conversion. As the cost of capital comes down, 2025 will usher in a new financial environment that will inspire developers to seek out creative conversions of all types, including retail to healthcare, retail to sports, office to senior living, office to science labs, and more.
• Talk Turns to Action on Attainable Housing: Attainable market-rate housing becomes the number one priority for cities around the world in 2025 as new financial incentives and lowering interest rates converge with changes to zoning laws and building codes to create an attractive market for housing developments of all types.
• The Workplace of the Future Has Arrived: The future workplace is here now, and it’s all about employee experience, inspiration, and the value proposition realized by building owners and developers. In 2025, tenants will continue their flight to quality in search of workplace experiences that motivate employees and meet their professional aspirations. Landlords looking to compete must be laser focused on transforming their spaces into fully amenitized, Class A buildings close to transit and within the 20-minute lifestyle mix.

As cities worldwide face evolving challenges, Gensler’s 2025 Design Forecast offers a blueprint for building adaptable, sustainable environments that put people at the center. By advancing adaptive reuse, setting new standards in sustainable materials, and championing affordable housing solutions, our global teams are reimagining how design can shape the vibrant, flexible communities of tomorrow.

Download the full report.