Saint-Gobain Corp. recently announced the official opening of its North American corporate headquarters located in Malvern, Pa. The 320,000-sq-ft campus, situated on 65 acres, reportedly underwent a renovation over the past 18 months to transform the long-dormant site into a dynamic showcase for Saint-Gobain and its North American construction materials subsidiary, CertainTeed Corp. The opening of the headquarters marked the culmination of the year-long celebration commemorating Saint-Gobain’s 350th anniversary. 

“Saint-Gobain and CertainTeed’s headquarters is designed to demonstrate the power our products have to improve the quality of people’s lives,” said John Crowe, president and CEO. “It is a shining example of how innovative companies can design, construct, and renovate sustainable, healthy, comfortable, and environmentally friendly buildings around the world.” 

The E. Kahn Development Corp. and J. Loew & Associates Inc., in collaboration with AEGON USA Realty Advisors LLC, led the headquarters’ redesign. The sustainable building is designed to achieve the highest level of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). It will reportedly be the only commercial building to have an interior and exterior that is certified LEED v3 Platinum by the USGBC in Pennsylvania. The new campus was designed in close consultation with a number of local sustainability consulting firms, including The Sheward Partnership, Jacobs Engineering and Sustainable Solutions Corp. In addition to pursuing the USGBC’s LEED v3 Platinum certification for the commercial interior, the core and shell, the headquarters is pursuing certification for The Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR program. 

In April 2014, Saint-Gobain signed a long-term lease for the campus that will be the workplace of more than 800 employees across Saint-Gobain and CertainTeed. Saint-Gobain elected to keep its headquarters in Chester County to retain its well-established talent base and continue its contribution to the financial vitality of Chester County and the greater Philadelphia area. The expanded campus is also home to CertainTeed’s Malvern Innovation Center, which opened in October 2014, and marks the first time the company’s local research and operations teams will share a site. The new headquarters also boasts significant open-concept office space: 116 collaborative spaces; a cafeteria, along with other food and beverage spaces; a fitness facility; a pond; a fountain installation; and 1.3 miles of walking trails. 

Saint-Gobain’s portfolio of North American businesses has evolved over the past 40 years, and the former headquarters located in Valley Forge was no longer conducive to close cooperation across business units. The new facility reportedly promotes the cross-collaboration the company believes is essential for its businesses to succeed, as well as to attract and retain top talent. The new campus is three times larger than the company’s previous campus. In addition to accommodating additional business units, the campus has been designed to hold future businesses that are acquired by Saint-Gobain. 

“The opportunity to bring together the long-term insights of marketing with the deep customer experience of sales and then combine them with the expertise of our scientists in one central location was too great an opportunity to pass up,” said Minas Apelian, vice president of Research & Development for CertainTeed. “It’s our belief that it will yield better products and solutions for our customers and consumers across North America. Our inventors, problem-solvers and visionaries will be able to work better together to solve the world’s biggest challenges and make a material difference in the way people work, live, and play.” 

For more information, visit www.saint-gobain-northamerica.com.