Meena Krenek

As a design director at Gensler Atlanta, Meena Krenek has led the development of the office’s new creative incubator space. “It’s all about bringing back a sense of wonder into the workplace,” she says.

At Gensler Atlanta’s incubator space, the design director has used the creative process to build a workplace community. By Dora Vanette Photography by Andrew Thomas Lee

For Meena Krenek, a design director at Gensler Atlanta, creating a workplace means drafting not only a space’s physical qualities but also its emotional resonance. At Gensler’s new incubator, a recent expansion at the firm’s collaboration-focused office in midtown Atlanta, the experience begins with a peephole and sliding panel built into a nondescript metal door. this small-scale design intervention, which gives the visitor a glimpse into the office space beyond, is meant to set the stage for the creative process that happens inside. “it’s an exciting challenge to design a playful quirk that users can interact with,” Krenek says. “it’s all about bringing back a sense of wonder into the workplace.” From speechbubble neon signs to quotes on stair treads, Krenek sprinkles her spaces with similar details to spark curiosity in visitors—and maybe inspire them to share on social media. instagrammable moments aside, Krenek is careful not to lose sight of her main imperative to foster meaningful work. Guided by Gensler’s Workplace

The incubator space changes frequently, incorporating mock-ups and test areas for products— like the Rockwell Unscripted collection for Knoll (right)—and layouts, like a sit-stand zone with writable walls (bottom right).

Performance index, a pre- and post-occupancy survey tool that the firm developed to gain insight into employee needs, Krenek is dedicated to designing spaces that support a broad range of work styles. Flexibility and mobility form the backbone of her approach. in designing the shaw Create Centre, a think tank for the company’s design, marketing, and innovation teams in rural Cartersville, Georgia, Krenek translated these principles into a series of venues within the shaw office space, from cozy nooks for focused work and phone calls to airy, open spaces that encourage collaboration and social interaction. Movable furniture, screens, and tackable surfaces allow for seamless shifting between the two.

In her work, Krenek uses design to give employees a sense of permanence and stability—a quality often lacking in contemporary workspaces. Unlike “free address” offices, where employees typically have to clean their desks and store personal materials at the end of the day, at the incubator, Krenek has created an environment that encourages people to leave their work up on the pinup and writable walls. “It’s almost like an old-time war room,” Krenek notes. “You can come in the next day and see the patterns. It gives you an opportunity to really simmer on an idea.”

Krenek’s humanistic approach to the workplace reflects an industry-wide trend, as workplaces leave behind pure utility in favor of fostering a sense of social destination. So, whether she is designing a place for clients to visit and become “a part of the messy,” as in the case of Gensler’s incubator, or to attract new talent, as at Shaw’s campus, Krenek finds it her

The space is designed to reflect the iterative processes happening within it, with an unfinished, in-flux look that combines multiple usable surfaces and collaborative areas. “It gives you an opportunity to really simmer on an idea,” says Krenek.

responsibility to create a connection between people and spaces.

“What an office today does is bring people with aligned values together,” Krenek explains. For her, the designer’s task is to uncover and highlight the authentic culture of an organization. “At a very basic level, what people crave is community, connection, and a sense of belonging,” she says. “if we don’t provide this in our designs, we are not doing justice to the people who spend their time in these spaces.” M

The same spirit of creative input invigorates Krenek’s design for the Shaw Create Centre, which incorporates movable furniture, screens, and tackable surfaces.