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Bay Area Architect Art Gensler died at the age of 85 at his home in Mill Valley. He was known for turning his San Francisco practice into the largest architecture firm in the world.

His firm, Gensler, was behind the designs of Chase Center, Moscone Convention Center West, and other landmarks in the city.

According to CBS San Francisco, in his video in memory of his life and the firm, Gensler mentioned that he likes to do things people use.

For Gensler, design a "big picture attitude." He said he is particularly interested in how design is going to interact with one's surroundings and with the people who are going to use it."

In 1965, Gensler started his firm with his wife Drue and James Follett. The firm's beginning was humble: one room, one draftsman, and just $200.

Little did he know back then that Gensler will become the biggest firm in the world, designing around the size of San Francisco each year.

Kim Beals, the spokeswoman of the firm, stated that it is a very big collection of the best designers in the world, acknowledging everyone who contributed to its success. Gensler also emphasized that the firm is 'one great family.'

The Life of Gensler

Gensler was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1935. He earned his bachelor's degree in architecture from Cornell University in 1958. The Bay Area Architect met his wife, Drucilla Cortell, during their time in school. The couple got married in 1957 then moved from New York to San Francisco in 1962, Archinect reports.

Meanwhile, the Bay Area Architect started his world's largest Architecture firm by focusing on space planning and interiors. At the time, most architects did not notice the two aspects under their radar. It resulted in interior design being considered a new category of practice in architecture.

Aside from his newly established architecture category, the Bay Area Architect also saw the need for a new discipline in architecture called tenant development. It is the designing and building of interior spaces for office tenants.

Retiring Years and Awards

Gensler stepped down as chairman of the firm in 2010, but he spent years giving back.

The Bay Area Architect also served as a trustee for the Buck Institute for Research on Aging, the California College of the Arts, and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. He also gave $10 million to his alma mater, Cornell University, The Business Journals.

Gensler was also a fellow of the American Institute of Architects and the International Interior Design Association. Gensler received a Design Futures Council Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016 and was the recipient of the Cornell Entrepreneur of the Year Award of the same year.

Despite his awards, Gensler stated that the work and the firm were not about him. He emphasized in the video that it never was. Rather, it is about what he calls a constellation of stars. It takes everyone to do a project.

On the other hand, the firm is also well-known for the Shanghai Tower in Shanghai, China, the second-tallest building in the world.

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