Saint-Gobain Inks 320 KSF Lease for New North American HQ

By Anna Spiewak, News Editor

World’s largest building materials company Saint-Gobain has signed a long-term lease for 320,000 square feet of new North American headquarters space in Malvern, Pa.

After an extensive search, the company has selected the campus-like 65-acre site at 20 Moores Road in Malvern. International real estate organization Binswanger represented Saint-Gobain in the site search and negotiation of the new headquarters.

The Moores Road property will be entirely redeveloped as a U.S. Green Building Council LEED certified facility and its North American construction materials subsidiary, Certain Teed Corp. The project will also use a variety of products manufactured by Saint-Gobain. The building materials company’s new headquarters will emphasize its commitment to sustainability.

“During the site selection process we considered many locations, ranging from University City to sites in Chester County, but ultimately decided on staying in Chester County because it would not disrupt our well-established talent base that is largely in Chester and Montgomery counties,” John Crowe, president & CEO of Saint-Gobain and CertainTeed Corp. told Commercial Property Executive. “The Malvern site was also appealing because it allowed us to do a rehab with our building products and more space that gives us the option to unite several employee groups in one location. For the first time, the company’s local research team, currently based in Blue Bell, Pa., will be integrated with the company’s operations team on one site, and we will have the space to accommodate other business units in the future.“

The company sold two of its current headquarters in Valley Forge, Pa. The move will bring 120 additional employees to Chester County and raise the company’s employee count at the new residence to more than 800, according to the release. The redevelopment of the campus, previously occupied by Aegon Group will be led by E. Kahn Development Corp. Construction commences this month, slated for completion in the fall of 2015.

“Our existing Valley Forge site has been our home for more than 40 years, and like most of the world’s most innovative brands, we are not the same organization we were in 1970,” Crowe added. “As buildings have evolved and demanded that materials work comfortably and efficiently together as a fluid system, so have Saint-Gobain’s various business units. Our existing site in Valley Forge offers several detached buildings to accommodate individual groups, which is not conducive to close collaboration and cooperation among our business units.”

Binswanger’s Project Management Group will represent Saint-Gobain as its advisor and project coordinator through the construction and redevelopment of the property.