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The basics:

• Sanofi relocates 2,000 employees to new $130M Morristown flagship
• M Station West features nature-inspired, people-focused design
• Includes coworking space, employee clinic, rooftop terrace
• Gov. Murphy joins Sanofi leaders to unveil new office

When Sanofi decided to move its New Jersey flagship from Bridgewater to Morristown, it worked to raise the bar on the office space. Following its debut this week, it feels like mission accomplished. 

The global health care company with headquarters in France, celebrated the new Morris County location with an unveiling May 22. During the event, Gov. Phil Murphy and Morristown officials joined Sanofi CEO Paul Hudson and other senior company leaders to cut the ribbon at M Station West.  

The $130 million investment marks the company’s latest piece in a worldwide, science-driven, best-in-class workplace portfolio and boosts its U.S. presence. It also highlights the kinds of environments – internal as well as external surroundings – driving office occupancy. 

“Sanofi is an intrinsic part of the health care ecosystem of the United States, where we pioneer advancements in our labs, produce medicines and vaccines that improve people’s lives, and grow our talented workforce,” Hudson said. “Our people are our biggest asset and providing them with a cutting-edge workplace experience is key to help them thrive and do their best work. These flagship offices are designed to inspire creativity, collaboration and innovation — all in the service of patients.”

A new kind of experience

While Sanofi’s new digs in Morristown are undeniably cutting edge, they almost don’t feel it – in a good way. And that underscores the people portion of Hudson’s remarks.  

Sanofi moved nearly 2,000 employees from 675,000 square feet in Bridgewater to Morristown, signing a 15-year lease at the new 260,000-square-foot M Station West building. 

When you arrive at 100 Morris Ave., you check in at a large, open table, set with a series of white vases topped with deep, warm maroon flowers that echo the oversized peonies painted on the wall behind. The station is perfectly a part of its surroundings. It might even prompt a visitor to ask if the setup is for a special occasion. But it’s not, every day is the occasion. 

The building’s interiors embrace the theme of the nature of science, according to Meaghan Hollywood, Sanofi’s associate director, North American Real Estate Operations. They also reflect the area. Upon entering the space, oversized artwork declaring “Welcome to Morristown” greets entrants. 

In crafting the new space, Sanofi said it was important to focus on building something people are excited about.

“I think especially post pandemic and people returning to the office, there was a real focus on why people would return – since we were working remotely – and how do we get people back into the office? How do we energize them in the office?” explained Hollywood.  

As for inspiration, among other influences, she said, “A boutique hotel is another good reference. It’s somewhere that you are excited to go to. It looks cool and you feel special being here when you bring your guests, it’s something that you’re proud of.” 

Act naturally

Competing with home spaces, Sanofi said it looked to harness a quality of comfort or coziness in Morristown.

Beyond the botanical theme expressed in the imagery throughout the building, natural wood tones feature throughout — exceptionally so in the dramatic entryway lobby, as well as in the furniture and fixtures throughout the building.  

According to the company, those natural materials used throughout the space were largely locally sourced, as was the office art. On display throughout the building, featured pieces include an object plaque with artist information as well as a QR code to scan for further details. These touches further reinforce the boutique atmosphere while also strengthening connections to local creators and culture. 

The ground floor includes a public-facing eatery. Chain Tatte Bakery & Café will expand its footprint at the soon-to-open location. The inclusion checks multiple boxes: activating street-level retail for the public, as well as offering another easily accessible culinary option for Sanofi team members. 

On the floors above – accessible by that dramatic grand staircase – the space features flexible workstations and digitally enabled smart design. All rooms are Zoom-enabled and include design touches to isolate sound. 

Sanofi employees are required to work from the office three days each week, with two flexible days. According to a company spokesperson, Sanofi is in the process of increasing its in-office presence – but it’s also already surpassing anticipated occupancy levels in the new space.  

On a May Monday morning just before the big debut, there were plenty of people walking about, working and parked in the deck. 

Balancing act

“Morristown exemplifies Sanofi’s long-term investment in creating an empowering and purposeful workplace experience. When you walk in the door, you immediately feel that it’s a different kind of workplace – digitally enabled, fully accessible and functional, but also beautiful and designed to make people feel connected and inspired. We look forward to welcoming Sanofians and visitors from around the world to our newest site,” said Natalie Bickford, Sanofi executive vice president and chief people officer.

Developed by SJP Properties in partnership with Morristown-based Scotto Properties, Gensler provided design for the project. M Station West and its sister building, the 120,000-square-foot M Station East where Deloitte took occupancy in 2022, are set back 45 feet from Morris Street to create a 10,000-square-foot, landscaped promenade and two public plazas.  

So far, four of M Station West’s seven floors are activated. The building also offers multiple terraces and a bonus 17,000-square-foot landscaped rooftop.  

Light flows throughout and fills the interior spaces, in many instances via floor-to-ceiling windows. These panes also offer views of the city outside. 

Opting for office hoteling, Sanofi Morristown teams are assigned a home floor, instead of a desk, to encourage collaboration. However, employees can work wherever they like. Each floor features the same furniture, allowing for free flow from space to space throughout the day — and ensuring that all departments (Digital, Business Operations, International Audit, Legal, People & Culture, Research & Development, Finance, General Medicines, Manufacturing & Supply, Specialty Care and Vaccines) have equal access to the things they need. 

Each floor features wellness rooms – or “Renew Suites,” a plethora of coffee stations, gender-neutral bathrooms (with full privacy and showers) as well as private mothers’ spaces. 

Function and form

“For us it was important that you have a place to escape to if you need it, but also to give the correct balance of social service spaces,” explained Ashley Gross, vice president Global Real Estate at Sanofi.

With its teams based on the sixth and seventh floors, the second floor of the building focuses on a different kind of collaboration. The level offers coworking space for internal and external visitors, of which there are plenty.  

During a tour of the new space, company representatives said the office typically welcomes hundreds of people each day. The second-floor shared working space is accessible without having to enter the building’s secured areas, allowing further flexibility. In addition to private booths (that feature those dramatic full-height windows), desks, benches, conference rooms and training areas are also available. 

“For us it was important to focus on natural light access in terms of functional space, but also pre- and post-function space,” said Gross. She pointed out that the layout on the second floor is different than those above it to accommodate large, small or pop-up meetings as well as events.  

The second floor also features Sanofi’s in-house primary care health clinic for employees, a popular feature that transferred from Bridgewater. 

While the second, sixth, seventh and eighth (the rooftop) floors are built out, the middle of the building is still under construction. At one point, the company had considered sub-leasing the space, but as of May 19, Sanofi representatives said the company will use it. 

Fine tuning

To come up with the right mix of workable spaces, the team looked across its portfolio. Throughout, M Station offers heads down space; phone booths; public booths without doors; small meeting, focus and huddle rooms; and also large meeting rooms. 

Additionally, the company is eager to see how the space it already has is used to ensure it meets the needs of employees. To achieve this, Sanofi uses heat mapping. 

“You don’t know who it is, you just know where people are … how long are they staying, what are they using, what furniture will they use more — to help us make adjustments across the portfolio in terms of space in the future,” said Gross.  

The tech is also employed in Sanofi’s other global locations (the company has 80,000 employees worldwide). “So it’s interesting, also, then we can compare here versus Cambridge, for example, or here versus Paris. And then consider also the job functions of people in the space and the typology of space they prefer, which is what drives the design,” Gross explained.

Extending off of the light-filled, open, enlarged kitchen and dining area, Sanofi offers two terraces on its seventh floor. Gross said these social spaces are helpful to funnel noise and population. Beyond outdoor areas for eating, open collaboration tables and social booths are also available.

The eighth-floor rooftop is the literal cherry on top at M Station West.

Exiting the elevators, a massive mural featuring native New Jersey birds greets visitors to the deck space entrance.

Up on the roof

“The theme of our rooftop is the canopy,” Hollywood said, connecting it to the nature of science theme that extends throughout the building. “Now you’re at the top of the tree and this is basically where you land. So, we wanted to have something that felt natural and organic up here, but have a little fun with the artwork,” she explained.

Sanofi says the 17,000-square-foot area is the largest outdoor terrace space in New Jersey. 

The wraparound nature of the outdoor area offers not just city views, but mountain ranges and some of that greenery Sanofi left behind when it moved from Bridgewater. And “nature” is relevant too in the landscaping that covers the rooftop, with native plants, groundcover, a burgeoning herb garden and touches of lavender that harken to the company’s Paris headquarters. 

As it carries the theme of nature from inside to out, the outdoor area is still an intentional extension of the workspace. It seeks to solve the issues of: “How do we get people outside? How do we make people comfortable? What else can we offer?” 

Separated into three “neighborhoods,” the rooftop features Wi-Fi connectivity and a plethora of power sources spread throughout the different seating areas.

The social space offers a bar, group seating and an expansive outdoor fireplace. The work/collaboration zone features semi-screened in meeting spaces. And a fitness/multipurpose area will offer yoga and other light workout classes.

The space is transitional – fully equipped for day or night and featuring speakers, lights, built-in heat sources and more. 

Sustainable instincts

According to Sanofi, its new Morristown office was built to be US Green Building Council LEED Gold Certified and compliant with WELL Gold Building standards.

The move from the more isolated Bridgewater campus, certainly a drive away from the nearest train station, also brings Sanofi employees closer to mass transit. That is intentional, as the company leans into climate consciousness.  

In addition to fully subsidized and accessible mass transit options nearby, Sanofi also runs Wi-Fi enabled shuttles to scoop workers from six locations (Bridgewater, Flemington, Hillsborough and Princeton in New Jersey as well as Swiftwater and Bethlehem, Pa.) to bring them to work.

For those who choose to drive, a massive parking deck stands between M Station West and M Station East; and the site includes electric vehicle charging stations onsite. 

Sanofi says the building is designed to use approximately 28% less energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 24%, compared with standard office spaces. The building also reduces water consumption (by 37% according to the company) through efficient fixtures and design. 

Citizenship

In Morristown, the company is also giving back to kick off its residency and become part of the community.

Sanofi announced a financial contribution to Zufall Health Center. The nonprofit community health center provides affordable health care for people regardless of income, insurance or other barriers. The undisclosed contribution will help support core services and team-based care, including updating equipment, Sanofi said. 

The Morristown office will also take part in the Meal Recovery Coalition, of which Sanofi is a founding member. Along with other, major New Jersey corporations, surplus meals from large cafeterias are recovered to distribute to food-insecure residents throughout the state. Sanofi says the initiative reflects its commitment to addressing health disparities and strengthening community resources where its employees live. 

Sanofi is a longtime New Jersey resident. Before its about 20-year stint in Bridgewater, the company also occupied space in Parsippany. It’s also just the latest big pharma to recommit to the Garden State, following moves from Kenvue to its brand-new space in Summit, Merck & Co.’s consolidation in Rahway and more. 

“Sanofi’s investment in this innovative Morristown facility represents a significant vote of confidence in New Jersey’s thriving innovation ecosystem,” Murphy commented. “This facility will drive scientific advancement and economic growth in our state, and its sustainable design and local partnerships will be an asset to the community.

“We are proud to see Sanofi deepen its commitment to to New Jersey as we work together to shape the future of health care innovation,” the governor added.

Sanofi’s investment in this innovative Morristown facility represents a significant vote of confidence in New Jersey’s thriving innovation ecosystem.
— Gov. Phil Murphy