At HOK, research-driven innovation forms the core of our practice. Our research program, open to all employees, provides financial support for groundbreaking ideas that have the potential to change the world.
Our recent research initiatives include:
- Designing for Neuroinclusivity: Since 2016 we have developed sensory-centered workplace strategies, piloted them in our studios, expanded the work through global partnerships, and captured the findings in the 2025 book Designing Neuroinclusive Workplaces.
- Ecosystem Intelligence: Through Project Positive and EcoMetrix’s EI tool we quantify and boost ecosystem services—achieving a 400% improvement at Stanford’s Center for Academic Medicine—and use the data to guide regenerative design.
- NYC 2100: Resilient Urban Futures: Planning research identifies 7,200 transit-served acres for equitable relocation and climate-ready growth as sea-level rise reshapes New York City’s outer boroughs, including Brooklyn and Queens.
- Mass Timber Research for Low-Carbon Construction: In collaboration with UC Berkeley’s MAAD Studio we are creating analytical tools and procedures for point-supported mass-timber structures that cut carbon and accelerate construction.
- DataRise: This concept repurposes vacant urban office towers into hybrid data-center and hydroponic-farm hubs that recycle server heat, reduce energy costs and revive downtown neighborhoods.
What sets our program apart is that our active design practitioners conceive and carry out the research themselves. This approach allows us to quickly apply our innovations to real-world challenges and push the boundaries of design.