EMD Serono R&D Building Earns First WELL Gold Certification™ in U.S. for New & Existing Building Project

BILLERICA, Mass., April 23, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- EMD Serono, the biopharmaceutical business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany in the U.S. and Canada, today announced that its R&D facility's Sagamore Building in Billerica, Massachusetts has been awarded WELL Certification at the Gold level by the International WELL Building Institute™ (IWBI™), underscoring the company's commitment to employee health and well-being. The Sagamore is the first building to receive WELL Gold Certification for New and Existing Buildings in the U.S. This prestigious distinction was awarded through IWBI's WELL Building Standard™ (WELL), which is the premier building standard focused on enhancing people's health and wellness through built environments.

An employee's physical workplace is one of the top three factors affecting performance and job satisfaction¹. The WELL Building Standard™ encourages the design of buildings with a human-centered approach, leveraging a research-based certification system that measures the human health and wellness of occupants based on building design and construction.

"EMD Serono is honored to receive WELL Certification at the Gold level – an increasingly important accolade that highlights our collaborative and knowledge-sharing culture," said Anthony Meenaghan, Senior Director, Facilities Management and Engineering, Environmental Health & Safety, EMD Serono. "Offering employees an environment where they can do their best work plays an important role in bringing meaningful solutions to people with difficult-to-treat diseases."

At EMD Serono's R&D campus in Billerica – one of the company's four global R&D hubs – more than 500 employees work to accelerate R&D innovation in oncology, immuno-oncology, and immunology. The Sagamore Building was completed last year to further expand the R&D campus, featuring innovative labs, open office space, bleacher seating, huddle rooms and technology-free quiet zones across three buildings and approximately 275,000 square feet. 

Created through seven years of rigorous research and development working with leading physicians, scientists, and industry professionals, the WELL Building Standard is a performance-based system that marries best practices in design and construction with evidence-based medical and scientific research. WELL is grounded in a body of medical research that explores the connection between the buildings where we spend more than 90 percent of our time and the health and wellness impact on us as occupants. To be awarded WELL Certification by IWBI, the Sagamore Building underwent rigorous testing and a final evaluation carried out by Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI), which is the third-party certification body for WELL, to ensure it met all WELL Certified™ Gold Level performance requirements. WELL Certification ensures that the built environment is designed to improve the nutrition, fitness, mood, sleep patterns and performance of its occupants.

"The work of innovative building projects such as the Sagamore Building is helping propel the healthy building movement forward," said Rick Fedrizzi, chairman and CEO of IWBI™. "As the newest member of the family of WELL Certified™ projects, the Sagamore Building is a strong representation of our growing movement."

Beyond being recognized with WELL Certification at the Gold level for a new and existing building project in the U.S., the Sagamore Building received Platinum LEED certification in 2015.

¹ The Gensler Design + Performance Index, The US Workplace Survey (2006).

About EMD Serono, Inc. 
EMD Serono is the biopharmaceutical business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, in the U.S. and Canada - a leading science and technology company - focused exclusively on specialty care. For more than 40 years, the business has integrated cutting-edge science, innovative products and industry-leading patient support and access programs. EMD Serono has deep expertise in neurology, fertility and endocrinology, as well as a robust pipeline of potential therapies in oncology, immuno-oncology and immunology as R&D focus areas. Today, the business has 1,300 employees around the country with commercial, clinical and research operations based in the company's home state of Massachusetts. www.emdserono.com

About Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany 
Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, is a leading science and technology company in healthcare, life science and performance materials. Around 50,000 employees work to further develop technologies that improve and enhance life – from biopharmaceutical therapies to treat cancer or multiple sclerosis, cutting-edge systems for scientific research and production, to liquid crystals for smartphones and LCD televisions. In 2017, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, generated sales of € 15.3 billion in 66 countries.

Founded in 1668, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, is the world's oldest pharmaceutical and chemical company. The founding family remains the majority owner of the publicly listed corporate group. Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, holds the global rights to the „Merck" name and brand. The only exceptions are the United States and Canada, where the company operates as EMD Serono, MilliporeSigma and EMD Performance Materials.

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Melissa Beglin 781-681-2609

SOURCE EMD Serono

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