Gensler Named One of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies for 2025

The Firm Earns Back-To-Back Recognition For Industry-Leading Innovation, This Time For Its Gensler Product Sustainability (GPS) Standards^TM

SAN FRANCISCO — Gensler has been named to Fast Company’s prestigious annual list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies for 2025, earning No. 7 in the Architecture category. This marks the firm’s fifth appearance on the list — and its second consecutive year of recognition — highlighting its leadership in the built environment and its ability to drive transformative change through a culture of innovation and meaningful impact. This year, Fast Company honors the Gensler Product Sustainability (GPS) Standards^TM, which are transforming the industry by raising the bar for building materials. Gensler was previously named to Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies list in 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2024.

GPS simplifies a long-standing challenge in the building sector: the complexity of specifying the best materials while navigating a fragmented landscape of more than 100 different material certifications and eco-labels. For the first time ever, GPS establishes a clear set of performance criteria and a shared standard for 18 of the most-used building materials on the market. An open-source tool, GPS supports greater industry coordination, helping manufacturers accelerate the development of high-performing products while enabling designers to specify materials that advance clients’ resilience and sustainability goals. GPS is aligned with rigorous third-party standards such as LEED, BREEAM, and mindful MATERIALS, creating a more transparent, consistent framework for material selection — ensuring quality and performance at scale.

Since its launch in 2023, GPS has driven measurable impact:

• Over 2,800 products vetted for compliance.
• More than 1,500 Gensler designers and 1,000 manufacturers trained on GPS standards.
• Expanded from 12 to 20 product categories, covering high-volume materials such as acoustic ceiling tiles, carpet tiles, and resilient flooring.

“The Gensler Product Sustainability (GPS) Standards are about more than simplifying material selection — they’re about transforming how we think and work in our industry,” said Gensler Co-CEO, Jordan Goldstein. “By embracing clarity and efficiency, GPS enables our teams and partners to proactively make informed, smart choices that create positive impact for the long term.”

“Gensler’s strength lies in our commitment to people-centered design and forward-thinking creativity,” said Gensler Co-CEO, Elizabeth Brink. “Our GPS Standards exemplify how we can drive meaningful change by creating tools that benefit not just our firm, but the entire real estate and design ecosystem.”

Gensler’s inclusion in Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies list for 2025 highlights the firm’s ongoing commitment to shaping the future of the built environment through design, research, and sustainability. Beyond GPS, Gensler continues to push the boundaries of innovation — from pioneering adaptive reuse strategies that transform vacant office buildings into housing to advancing digital design integration and human-centric solutions. The firm’s sustainability leadership extends beyond materials, influencing carbon reduction strategies and the way cities evolve to meet future challenges. Last year, Gensler was recognized for Conversions+, a proprietary algorithm that accelerates adaptive reuse by identifying viable office-to-residential conversions, addressing critical housing shortages, and reimagining urban spaces with purpose and impact.