Merck Headquarters Building Explained

Merck & Co., Inc. World Headquarters
Building Type:Corporate headquarters
Architectural Style:Modernist
Location:Whitehouse Station in Readington, New Jersey, United States
Address:1 Merck Drive, Lebanon, New Jersey
Owner:UNICOM Science and Technology Park, Inc.
Coordinates:40.6408°N -74.7776°W
Start Date:1989
Completion Date:1990
Inauguration Date:1992
Floor Count:3[1]
Floor Area:1600000square feet, i.e. 900000square feet of office space, 700000square feet underground parking[2]
Architect:Kevin Roche John Dinkeloo and Associates, LLC
Civil Engineer:Clarke & Rapuano
Other Designers:Edmund Hollander and Maryanne Connelly

The former Merck & Co. headquarters building is a modernist office building located in the Whitehouse Station section of Readington Township, New Jersey, United States.[3] It was designed by Kevin Roche John Dinkeloo and Associates, LLC in the late 1980s for the Merck & Co. pharmaceutical company.[4] Over the years it became well known for its various environmentally friendly features.

In October 2012, Merck & Co. announced that starting in 2014 it would move its headquarters to the Schering-Plough site (formerly belonging to Ciba, Ciba-Geigy and Novartis) in Summit, New Jersey, acquired in the November 2009 acquisition of Schering, and planned to close the Whitehouse Station headquarters building upon completion of the move in 2015. In October 2013, Merck & Co. reversed course and said its headquarters would move to Kenilworth, New Jersey, and that the 88acres Summit campus would be sold after being vacated on December 31, 2014.[5] [6]

In July 2018, UNICOM Global announced that their division UNICOM Corporation had signed an agreement with Merck & Co. to purchase the entire Merck property at Whitehouse Station, with the acquisition expected to close in October 2018.[7] The completion of the acquisition was announced on October 1, 2018. The property was renamed UNICOM Science and Technology Park (USTP).[8]

Building history

Constructed in 1990 as a home for the headquarters staff of Merck & Co., the building is most recognizable for its hexagon shape and its nature setting.[2] [9] The main building was constructed with a 600feet wide clearing at its center, filled with old-growth trees saved during the construction phase.[9] Further, Merck & Co. placed the parking structure underground and created a temporary nursery on-site for the trees removed during construction, in order to make the facility a "corporate cottage in the woods".[9] The building was originally set on of property and has since been expanded to a 1000acres campus with auxiliary buildings.[1] [10] The initial site plan foresaw the subsequent addition of two buildings to create a grid of three connected hexagons, however, after a change in management, it was indicated that further construction in the original style would not occur.[1] [11] Instead a conventional office block was built adjacent to it known as "Whitehouse Station West".

In the center of the building there is a park with a small lawned sitting area containing a statue given by Merck Germany.

Prior to moving to this location, the Merck & Co. headquarters was located in Rahway, New Jersey. The Whitehouse Station campus is located on an old dairy farm and the surrounding area is known as a more suburban/rural setting than the area around the Rahway campus.[3] [12] As a result, Merck & Co. included amenities such as on-site child-care, a fitness center, baseball fields, and a medical services center for employees.[12]

Solar initiative

In 2008, Merck & Co. installed a 1.6-megawatt solar power system consisting of 7,000 panels on of property.[13] Among the largest installations at a corporate headquarters, the system is also the largest ground-mounted solar power tracking system east of the Mississippi River.[14] In all, it will provide 7% of the site's power and is expected to "reduce carbon dioxide emissions by more than 1,300 tons per year."[14]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Merck & Co., Inc. World Headquarters . 2017-05-23 . Kevin Roche John Dinkeloo and Associates.
  2. Web site: A Prescription for Continued Satisfaction — Merck’s Worldwide Headquarters Chooses Andover Continuum . 2008-10-10 . TAC . 2006 . REFRIGE.com.
  3. Web site: A Company Move That Hasn't Irked the Neighbors . 2008-10-10 . Peterson . Iver . 1992-11-15 . NYT.
  4. Web site: Who is using Foundation . 2008-10-10 . Foundation Software . 2000 . https://web.archive.org/web/20081022191950/http://www.foundationsoftware.com/body_clients.htm . 2008-10-22 . dead .
  5. Web site: Merck to Move Global Headquarters Within New Jersey . 2012-10-09 . Merck . 2012.
  6. Friedman, Alexi. "In about-face, Merck will shutter Summit campus and make Kenilworth its headquarters", The Star-Ledger, October 1, 2013. Accessed October 16, 2013.
  7. UNICOM Global. "UNICOM® Corporation to Acquire Property Located at Whitehouse Station, New Jersey", UNICOM Global, July 12, 2018. Accessed July 16, 2018.
  8. UNICOM Global. "UNICOM Global acquires the Merck Property Located at Whitehouse Station, New Jersey", UNICOM Global, October 1, 2018. Accessed October 24, 2018.
  9. Web site: Cuttings; Corporate Cottage, Deep in a Forest . 2008-10-10 . Raver . Anne . 1991-12-22 . NYT.
  10. Web site: Merck headquarters in Readington to harness the sun with new solar panels . 2008-10-10 . O'Brien . Walter . 2008-09-02 . MyCentralJersey.com.
  11. Web site: Raising Merck's threshold of pain . 2008-10-10 . Bowe . Christoper . 2006-11-26 . Financial Times . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20081022170910/http://us.ft.com/ftgateway/superpage.ft?news_id=fto112620061755336012 . 2008-10-22 .
  12. Web site: It Takes a Village To Make an Office. Ask Mother Merck. . 2008-10-10 . Mansnerus . Laura . 1999-11-21 . NYT.
  13. Web site: 1.6-MW Solar System Being Built at Merck Headquarters . 2008-10-10 . RenewableEnergyWorld.com . 2008-08-15.
  14. Web site: Largest Ground-Mounted Solar Power Tracking System East of Mississippi River Being Built at Merck & Co., Inc. Headquarters . https://web.archive.org/web/20081022220305/http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS181347+14-Aug-2008+PRN20080814 . dead . 2008-10-22 . 2008-10-10 . UTC Power . 2008-08-14 . Thomson Reuters.