Merck headquarters
Encyclopedia
The Merck headquarters building is a modernist
office building located in Whitehouse Station, New Jersey. It was designed by Kevin Roche John Dinkeloo and Associates, LLC
in the late 1980s for the Merck
pharmaceutical company. Over the years it has become well-known for its various environmentally friendly features.
saved during the construction phase. Further, Roche 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". The building was originally set on 460 acres (186.2 ha) of property and has since been expanded to a 1000 acres (4 km²) campus with auxiliary buildings. 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. 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 its current location, the Merck headquarters was located in Rahway
, New Jersey
. The White House 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. As a result, Merck included amenities such as on-site child-care
, a fitness center, baseball field
s, and a medical services center for employees.
. 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."
Modern architecture
Modern architecture is generally characterized by simplification of form and creation of ornament from the structure and theme of the building. It is a term applied to an overarching movement, with its exact definition and scope varying widely...
office building located in Whitehouse Station, New Jersey. It was designed by Kevin Roche John Dinkeloo and Associates, LLC
Kevin Roche
Kevin Roche is an Irish-American architect known for his creative work with glass.Born in Dublin, Roche spent his formative years in Mitchelstown, Co. Cork before he graduated from University College Dublin in 1945. He then worked with Michael Scott from 1945-1946...
in the late 1980s for the Merck
Merck & Co.
Merck & Co., Inc. , also known as Merck Sharp & Dohme or MSD outside the United States and Canada, is one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. The Merck headquarters is located in Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, an unincorporated area in Readington Township...
pharmaceutical company. Over the years it has become well-known for its various environmentally friendly features.
Building history
Constructed in 1990 as a home for the headquarters staff of Merck, the building is most recognizable for its hexagon shape and its nature setting. The main building was constructed with a 600 feet (182.9 m) wide clearing at its center, filled with old-growth treesOld growth forest
An old-growth forest is a forest that has attained great age , and thereby exhibits unique ecological features. An old growth forest has also usually reached a climax community...
saved during the construction phase. Further, Roche 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". The building was originally set on 460 acres (186.2 ha) of property and has since been expanded to a 1000 acres (4 km²) campus with auxiliary buildings. 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. 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 its current location, the Merck headquarters was located in Rahway
Rahway, New Jersey
Rahway is a city in southern Union County, New Jersey, United States. It is part of the New York metropolitan area, being 15 miles southwest of Manhattan and five miles west of Staten Island...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. The White House 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. As a result, Merck included amenities such as on-site child-care
Day care
Child care or day care is care of a child during the day by a person other than the child's legal guardians, typically performed by someone outside the child's immediate family...
, a fitness center, baseball field
Baseball field
A baseball field, also called a ball field or a baseball diamond, is the field upon which the game of baseball is played. The terms "baseball field" and "ball field" are also often used as synonyms for ballpark.-Specifications:...
s, and a medical services center for employees.
Solar initiative
In 2008, Merck installed a 1.6-megawatt solar power system consisting of 7,000 panels on 7 acres (2.8 ha) of property. Among the largest installations at a corporate headquarters, the system is also the largest ground-mounted solar power tracking system east of the Mississippi RiverMississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
. 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."