BOSTON – Margulies Perruzzi Architects (MPA), J. Calnan & Associates, Inc. and Cresa announced today that the firms jointly provided design, construction, and transaction and project management services for the U.S. headquarters of the Health & Home segment of Helen of Troy, a global leader in branded healthcare devices and home comfort products.
MPA provided interior architecture and corporate design services, J. Calnan & Associates, Inc. provided pre-construction and construction management services, and Cresa provided transaction management and project management services for the 65,000 SF interior fit-up of office and research and development laboratory space at 400 Donald Lynch Blvd. in Marlborough, Mass. The project was completed in October 2015.
Helen of Troy’s Health & Home segment is a state-of-the art, dynamically managed, leader in healthcare devices and home comfort products. The company manages a brand portfolio that includes PUR, Vicks, Honeywell, Braun, and more. The Helen of Troy Health & Home U.S. headquarters provides space for offices and workstations, a customer service call center, a conference center, showroom space, and research and development laboratories.
Having outgrown its previous space in Southborough, Mass., Helen of Troy’s Health & Home segment sought a more efficient and organized office and lab environment that would foster a greater sense of community and collaboration for its new headquarters. Health & Home’s new U.S. headquarters features an open and efficient floor plan with low-height workstations and glass-front offices that surround a core of support service spaces and collaboration areas. MPA’s design takes advantage of the building’s extensive window line to extend natural light deep into the space.
At the heart of the space, a large reception and gathering area serves as the hub of the office for employees and visitors alike. The branded reception and lounge area, with a folding glass wall to the elevators for off-hours security, welcomes visitors to the office. The reception lounge features two conference rooms that double as showrooms with product shelving and glass display cases. On the other side of reception, a café gathering space provides vending and PUR water filtration machines along with a variety of casual seating options, including tables, soft seating, and booth seating along the window line. This central gathering space features an exposed deck ceiling and polished concrete floors, and can accommodate many people for socializing or casual collaboration.
Adjacent to the reception and gathering area, MPA designed research and development and product testing laboratory space with 11 labs set up for testing product, including an acoustical testing chamber. A corridor runs in a loop through the glass-front lab area, providing a convenient visitor tour that concludes into both the gathering area and conference center. The center features three large conference rooms with movable walls that open to accommodate 200 employees for a company meeting.
“From the start of our working relationship, Helen of Troy appreciated the interactive design process, diligent project management, and tight collaboration that MPA, J. Calnan, and Cresa brought to this project,” said Jon Kosheff, President – Helen of Troy Health & Home. “The design of our new headquarters provides opportunities for interaction and collaboration in a more efficient and welcoming space for our employees and customers, and creates a vibrant workplace environment that helps to attract and retain talent. We are delighted to call this space our new home.”
Cresa’s brokerage team included John Coakley, Adam Subber and David Ross, who managed an extensive process that began in an integrated approach with Cresa project management to establish Helen of Troy’s requirements. Helen of Troy was coming off a 20-year lease and, according to Coakley, this relocation was a great opportunity for them to create a new work environment for their employees. Cresa was able to secure Helen of Troy an attractive long-term lease which included having the landlord add a new fitness center and food service to the building. Cresa’s Amy Braun and Barry Dube provided project management services, which included the planning and implementation of a collaborative and vibrant work environment to help attract and recruit talent.
The Helen of Troy project team included R.W. Sullivan for mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire protection engineering, Odeh Engineers for structural engineering, and Acentech for acoustics consulting. Creative Office Pavilion provided the furniture for the project.
Owned by the Nordblom Company, 400 Donald Lynch Blvd. is a Class A office building in the Solomon Pond Office Park. The building offers a fitness center and “grab and go” kiosk in the lobby, as well as use of a cafeteria in a nearby building.
