In January, Gensler announced that Bob Weis, former president of Walt Disney Imagineering, would be joining the design and architecture firm as leader of Global Immersive Experience Design. Weis joined the Disney Imagineering team in 1980, immediately after receiving his BArch from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. Over the course of his 40-year career with the media and entertainment juggernaut, Weis led more than 200 major projects around the world from Shanghai to Tokyo and Paris, including Disney theme parks, resorts, and cruise ships. In his new role, Weis will collaborate with Gensler project leads to design unique experiences for clients across a variety of spaces, including entertainment, lifestyle, hospitality, retail, sports, mixed-use, cultural institutions, and workplace environments.

Weis spoke to RECORD about his unique career, the value of storytelling in architecture, and his goals for his new role at Gensler.