Note: This article first appeared in Building Design + Construction.
This post marks the fifth edition of our Design Lab of the Future blog series, where we’ll explore how Gresham Smith is blending human-centered design with emerging technology to shape the next era of the built environment.
Continue the series:
- Read Edition 1 of Design Lab of the Future here.
- Read Edition 2 of Design Lab of the Future here.
- Read Edition 3 of Design Lab of the Future here.
- Read Edition 4 of Design Lab of the Future here.
At Gresham Smith, we talk a lot about how design should be collaborative, transparent, and human. For me, those aren’t just talking points, they’re the principles that shape how we should approach every challenge. And they’re what led me and a team of collaborators to develop Aether, a mobile app that invites clients to be more connected to their projects in a way that feels intuitive and meaningful.
Why We Built It
Over the years, we’ve seen moments in the design process where clients felt just a step removed. Not because they weren’t engaged, but because the tools didn’t always make it easy to stay informed or involved. We realized there had to be a better way to bridge that gap, to build something that keeps our clients connected to the heartbeat of a project, not just the milestones.
That led to Aether: a digital tool shaped by the way we work with clients, and more importantly, by how we want that experience to feel.
Designed for Real People
Aether was never meant to be just another project tracker or communication app. It’s rather a digital extension of the conversations, sketches, and decisions we share with clients every day in addition to other tools within our Design Lab of the Future suite.
Everything lives in one place: dashboards, drawings, key updates, even milestone celebrations. This results in clarity, not clutter by removing the mystery from the process and replacing it with confidence and visibility.
What You Can Do With Aether
Here are a few of the tools we’ve built into Aether to make that experience more seamless:
- Interactive project maps
Browse live and completed projects across different markets and regions over time.
- Dashboards that make sense
Track progress through simple visuals: cost, schedule, sustainability, and more.
- Design files at your fingertips
Access renderings, sketches and documents your team shares, without digging through emails
- Updates with insight
Follow the story of your project with photos and notes directly from the people designing it. - Room for real-time feedback
Ask questions, share thoughts, or align decisions instantly. No delays, and fewer surprises.
Creating Shared Understanding
What excites me most is that Aether reflects something bigger than an app. It reflects how our teams view design as an ongoing, evolving conversation with our clients. We’re not just sharing documents or checking boxes; instead we’re building shared understanding.
At Gresham Smith, innovation isn’t just about adopting new technology. It’s about solving real-world problems in ways that feel thoughtful, human, and purposeful.
Looking Ahead
As our industry moves forward, we’ll need more tools that make the design process even more transparent, collaborative and adaptive.
Aether is just one step in that direction, but it’s one I’m incredibly proud of. It’s a small but meaningful advance in reimagining the client experience. Because when we design for connection, we create better outcomes for everyone involved.
To read the previous edition of our “Design Lab of the Future” series, click here.
Jashwanth “Jay” Lakshmanan serves as Senior Innovation Technologist at Gresham Smith, where he blends architectural insight with advanced IT expertise to deliver data‑driven solutions. A seasoned technologist, he specializes in AI applications, SQL databases, Power BI, and Python, and is known for building Flask-based platforms and intuitive user interfaces that boost engagement. His work includes integrating Mapbox’s API to elevate geospatial and location‑based experiences. With strengths spanning AI development, web design, geospatial technology, and analytics, Lakshmanan is committed to improving user experiences, advancing data utilization, and shaping the future of intelligent, data‑powered solutions.
