MetLife Investments’ new state-of-the-art headquarters in the Hanover section of Whippany. — Courtesy: MetLife Investments
By Joshua Burd
MetLife Investments has opened the doors to its newly built 185,000-square-foot headquarters in Hanover.
The state-of-the-art building, developed by Vision Real Estate Partners and Rubenstein Partners, is one of the rare build-to-suit office projects in New Jersey in recent years. It is the new home for some 850 MetLife employees who are relocating from Morristown.
Executives from both companies, along with Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno and other public officials, gathered at the site in Hanover’s Whippany section on Wednesday for a ribbon-cutting ceremony. In a news release, MetLife said the new headquarters honors the company’s history and stability, “while embracing the future with a diverse, dynamic and collaborative work environment.”
“We are proud to have a new corporate home that offers endless possibilities for MetLife Investments — a business that has grown significantly in size, scope and scale and continues to grow,” Steven J. Goulart, executive vice president and chief investment officer, said in a prepared statement. “This move strengthens our commitment to delivering value to our customers, clients and partners.”
The opening also marks the completion of the second phase of Vision Real Estate Partners’ and Rubenstein’s high-profile redevelopment of the former Alcatel-Lucent campus in Hanover. The project began more than three years ago with the development of Bayer HealthCare’s East Coast headquarters next door.
MetLife highlighted several key components of the new facility:
- More than 90 conference rooms, including open meeting spaces on each floor, dedicated rooms for focused work sessions and a conference center with technologically advanced capabilities;
- Open-seating floors to foster employee interaction and spaces designed to accommodate a variety of work styles;
- “MetLife Clubs” on each floor, which expand the idea of a workplace pantry by incorporating a variety of collaboration areas for individual and group use;
- Enhanced dining options, including an on-site cafeteria and coffee bar;
- Healthy-living amenities, including a planned walking trail, fitness center, sit-stand desks, and treadmill desk stations
MetLife is targeting platinum-level certification under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, rating scale for commercial interiors, the news release said. Building materials and furniture were selected to have a low impact on the environment by using regional materials, materials with recycled content and certified wood.
