March 11, 2025 Gensler Supported Workshop Empowers Students to Tackle Sustainability through Design
As a part of global architecture and design firm Gensler’s “Reimagining Resiliency, Securing Sustainability” pilot program, students in the University of Tennessee, Knoxville’s College of Architecture and Design engaged in the Zero|Spec Workshop, a course dedicated to advancing sustainable design solutions. The workshop, proposed by Dean Jason Young and led by Distinguished Lecturer James Rose, focused on achieving zero-energy and zero-carbon buildings, utilizing specification of structural systems, materials, and construction methods.
Rose worked with Hannah Bowman, a fifth-year architecture student and teaching assistant, over the summer to prepare Revit and Rhino models of a number of projects designed in previous studios led by Rose. This allowed students in the Zero|Spec Workshop to begin their work seamlessly and without needing to prepare base documentation.
“The choices we make in modeling impact the design of the built environment at every scale,” she said. For Bowman, the assistantship provided an opportunity to demonstrate the systems knowledge she’d gain while setting up the students in the workshop for success.
“Hannah’s work allowed the students to start out with the existing conditions modeled and jump right into analysis,” said Rose. “They were not establishing the originating principles, but how those principles were best applied.”
Using Rhino, the students were able to make design adjustments quickly, which allowed for rapid iterations when studying climate effects and site orientation. To explore materials in depth and consider the impact on the projects, students utilized Revit, a building information modelling software.
Margaret Marando, a fifth-year student pursuing the college’s dual degree program in architecture and landscape architecture, said the course’s cross-disciplinary majors benefited her experience.
“Being constantly around other design majors in the building, it is hard to gauge the interest in sustainability across the university. By having the opportunity to work with students in civil engineering and with sustainability majors, we experienced a real work environment. It became clear throughout the semester how important it is to collaborate with other fields.”
Rose’s research and experience in energy and carbon was complemented by the course’s series of lectures featuring nationally recognized experts from government, industry, and academia. These speakers—scientists, architects, and engineers—introduced key sustainability concepts, inspiring students to explore innovative approaches through the workshop format.
Scheduled throughout the semester, the experts offered the students opportunities to discuss questions and problems they faced …
“When Matthew Kerr, a physical geography lecturer at UT, spoke with us about quaternary environments, the room finally felt the true weight of our impact on the environment,” said Marando. “The impact we hold over our environment can get glossed over and be coated in the happy idea that we can sustainably turn it around. Kerr’s lecture did not hold back in telling us the ultimate cause and response we have over our planet.”
As Marando progressed through the architecture program, she saw the imperative need to more thoroughly implement sustainability into their designs.
“When the course was offered, I immediately jumped at the opportunity,” she said. “It was exciting to see Gensler supporting students in their path towards sustainability and see our university apply for and be awarded such an opportunity. It was too good to pass up.”
Gensler’s inaugural program partnered with the UT College of Architecture and Design, as well as Lawrence Technological University’s College of Architecture and Design in Southfield, Michigan. The program is a part of the firm’s broader initiative to support educational institutions in developing forward-thinking curricula that align with the realities of contemporary professional practice.
