Virgin Pulse Corporate Headquarters
75 Fountain St., Third and Fourth Floors, Providence
Building owner and developer: Cornish Associates/Nordblom Co.
Construction manager: Site Specific LLC
Architect: SGA
Designer: Little Dragon
Engineers: Encore; Phalanx Engineering; Interstate Electric
Cost: Confidential
Use: The entire fourth floor and part of the third floor of the Providence Journal Building, totaling 48,000 square feet, were recently refurbished by Cornish Associates/Nordblom Co. and Little Dragon to house Virgin Pulse’s new corporate headquarters, which has moved from Framingham, Mass. The company currently has about 145 employees in the Providence office and expects to employ approximately 300 by 2021. The Journal still occupies the second floor of the building. The building materials were selected with a focus on sustainability, recycled content and green certifications for improved air quality. Among the new features in the upper floors are 14 glass-enclosed conference rooms, a green-carpeted walking path, stationary bikes/desks that use human power to recharge cellphones, treadmill desks, an employee kitchen, an all-company “town hall” area filled with natural light, and break areas that include pingpong and shuffleboard tables. On the third floor, which Virgin Pulse shares with GE Digital, the high-ceiling open space houses the employees’ sit/stand work stations, executive offices and reception area. Meeting rooms, open collaborative areas and workspaces are part of the fourth-floor space. The fully restored, wood-paneled library was once the Journal’s editorial boardroom. The space’s original catwalk wood was repurposed into countertops and reclaimed pallet wood became wall art.
BEFORE PHOTOS: COURTESY LITTLE DRAGON
AFTER HOTOS: COURTESY SITE SPECIFIC LLC
[caption id="attachment_200527" align="aligncenter" width="640"]
On the fourth floor at the new Virgin Pulse space, 14 conference rooms will allow employees and company clients to meet.[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_200524" align="aligncenter" width="640"]
BEFORE: Fourth floor conference room.[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_200525" align="aligncenter" width="640"]
FROM PAST TO PRESENT: The former Providence Journal editorial offices on the third and fourth floors were converted into new workspace for Virgin Pulse. The third-floor space will house collaboration pods, where employees can break out and discuss new ideas.[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_200526" align="aligncenter" width="640"]
BEFORE: Third floor collaboration pods.[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_200528" align="aligncenter" width="640"]
UNWINDING AT WORK: A walking track, which Virgin Pulse employees can use for walking meetings, and pingpong tables are among multiple amenities housed at the office.[/caption]
