News Release: June 11, 2002The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's 100,000-square-foot addition to its Plainsboro headquarters, providing a modern backdrop to the existing building's Route 1 façade, has earned the philanthropy a 2002 New Good Neighbor Award from the New Jersey Business & Industry Association.
"The building creates a humanistic environment for office workers that encourages employee interaction, physical fitness and stress reduction," said Plainsboro Township Mayor Peter A. Cantu, who nominated the facility. "Plainsboro is proud to have the headquarters addition within the township and salutes its 'good neighbor.'"
"The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's new addition blends the old with the new to create an attractive new space," NJBIA President Joe Gonzalez said. "This addition reflects the prestige that The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has earned."
As the nation's largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to health and healthcare, The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation was looking for a larger headquarters to accommodate the anticipated growth of nearly 200 jobs over 10 years. The new addition has taken the headquarters from 80,000 square feet to 180,000.
Architect Hillier of Princeton and builder Sordoni Skanska Inc. of Parsippany created the addition from a design concept centered on a 450-foot long-bar building. The new structure slides in behind the existing building to become a backdrop, allowing the addition to take advantage of the serene outdoor setting at the rear of the site, while the old building will continue to project a presence along Route 1.
An interior "street" and adjoining atrium connect the old and new parts of the building, and together they create a new information center and community room. Open-air glass bridges connect the old and new buildings at the second story.
The two-story interior street creates a linear space on one side and a meandering space on the other. Monumental stairs, projecting balconies and conference rooms perforate the linear side while the meandering side has a heavily articulated edge to create zones for circulation.
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's project was honored June 11 at NJBIA's Annual New Good Neighbor Awards Luncheon at the Sheraton at Woodbridge Place in Iselin.
The New Good Neighbor Awards program, now celebrating its 42nd year, recognizes newly built or renovated facilities that have created jobs and contributed to the quality of life in their communities. This year's 13 winners were selected from 45 projects that represent more than $1 billion in combined construction value and will house 13,600 permanent full-time workers.
A panel of independent judges painstakingly reviewed the projects and selected the winners based on architectural merit, jobs created and community involvement. Project nominations were made by a variety of people, including mayors, a state senator, local economic development officials and a chamber of commerce president.
