Genzyme, a world leader in biotechnology, wanted its new corporate headquarters to reflect the company’s mission of making a positive impact on people’s lives. So the design for Genzyme Center focused on not only lowering operational, maintenance, and energy costs, but also on providing a work environment that honors employees’ need for natural light and fresh air.
The environmental requirements translated into a variety of design specifications, such as movable mirrors placed on the roof to direct sunlight inside, blinds programmed to follow the sun and then close at night, and windows that employees could open to let in fresh air. And that was just the beginning.
When Genzyme requested proposals for an integrated systems solution to fulfill the building design’s objectives, four companies responded. Genzyme awarded the project to the Systems Integration Group of TAC® because it demonstrated its ability to handle the project’s scope and had the expertise to integrate systems from multiple manufacturers.
The project team faced a number of challenges – from integrating different systems and leveraging the corporate virtual private network (VPN) to adjusting to cultural differences and communicating among far-flung team members in Germany, Massachusetts, New York, and Los Angeles.
