Sanofi M Station

Overview

Opportunity

Solution

Impact

Team

Sanofi M Station reimagines the workplace as a flagship, hospitality-forward destination, transforming the office into a place people want to be.

Location

Morristown, New Jersey

Client

Sanofi

Expertise

Sciences Brand Design Consumer Goods Strategy Wellness

Opportunity

Sanofi’s move from a suburban campus to downtown Morristown created an opportunity to rethink how more than 2,000 employees experience work.

As pharmaceutical companies compete for top talent, the workplace has become a critical differentiator. Sanofi needed its new headquarters to reflect a global people-first strategy while supporting a cultural shift from a long-established suburban campus to a vibrant, transit-connected downtown setting. The opportunity was to create a workplace that would support diverse workstyles, wellness, and collaboration, and give employees a reason to choose the office. Just as important, the new headquarters needed to establish Sanofi as a visible, engaged presence within Morristown.

Why This Matters

01
Attract and Retain Talent
The move places Sanofi in a walkable, transit-rich business district, using location, local amenities, and a compelling workplace to strengthen talent attraction and retention.
02
Make the Office Magnetic
In an era of hybrid work, success meant creating an environment where employees genuinely wanted to be — replacing obligation with choice, connection, and engagement.
03
Support the Whole Person
The workplace needed to address physical, mental, and social well-being alongside performance. A clinic, fitness center, wellness rooms, parent suite, and quiet zones embed well-being into the daily employee experience.

With Sanofi M Station, we set out to create something truly special for employees — somewhere they would genuinely want to come to.

Solution

The solution was a hospitality-forward workplace that gives employees choice, support, and reasons to engage throughout the day.

Every design decision reflects Sanofi’s global people-first workplace strategy. Unassigned desks, lounge seating, collaborative hubs, focus rooms, and sensory-friendly spaces give employees meaningful choice in how and where they work. Hospitality leads provide concierge-style support, while food experiences, wellness amenities, and a rooftop terrace elevate the daily experience. Natural materials, biophilic textures, locally commissioned art, ambient music, and a signature scent create a multisensory environment inspired by science, nature, and the comforts of home.

From brief to build: how a people-first strategy transformed a workplace into an environment supporting flexibility, hospitality, wellness, and connection to place.

The team paired design excellence with holistic change management to turn a major workplace transition into an employee-centered destination. Planning focused on how people would actually use the building: flexible settings for different work modes, sensory-friendly and wellness spaces for a wider range of needs, indoor-outdoor environments that expand choice, and mobility strategies that support lower-carbon commuting. Operational thinking was also integrated, by including on-site hospitality leads trained in Sanofi’s culture and workplace practices to help the experience feel intuitive, consistent, and fully activated.

A Magnetic Experience

Conceived as a complete ecosystem, the workplace brings together hospitality, wellness, dining, collaboration, and outdoor experiences within a single, connected environment.

Impact

Sanofi M Station demonstrates that when the workplace is designed as a destination, it can strengthen culture, increase presence, and extend value beyond the office.

Sanofi M Station’s strongest proof point is its ability to draw people back, with onsite presence surpassing expectations and prompting expansion across the building.

What Changed Because of This

01
Employee Engagement
Employees gained a more supportive daily environment with greater choice, better wellness resources, and hospitality-forward services that make coming on-site purposeful and compelling.
02
Workplace Performance
The workplace exceeded projected occupancy and pre-pandemic attendance, demonstrating that the design can translate strategy into behavior and deliver measurable value over time.
03
Community Connection
A walkable downtown location connects employees to Morristown’s vibrancy, creating a more holistic daily experience while establishing Sanofi as an active presence in the community.

At Sanofi M Station, we set out to address one of the biggest questions facing workplaces today: how do you make the office truly magnetic?

Recognition

01

Newsweek

“Sanofi’s New US HQ Offers Transit-Accessible Hospitality in New Jersey”

02

FM Link Magazine

“Sanofi’s workplace designed with Gensler embraces every employee — and welcomes the Morristown, NJ, community.”

03

Workspace Design Awards

Sanofi M station: Workplace Experience Design of the Year

Team

Project Leadership

Fran Noval

With three decades of experience, Fran has led the delivery of sophisticated, large-scale complex projects that enhance organizational performance and provide lasting value. Through deep client partnerships, this work has contributed to transformative environments that have enriched Boston’s real estate and further strengthened the city’s reputation as a hub of innovation, talent, and opportunity.

[FPO] Whitney Eveler

Placeholder for office leadership name "Whitney Eveler" — no matching pagePeople yet. "pnpm migrate resolve-stubs" swaps this for the real page once it exists.

FAQ

01

Where is Sanofi M Station located?

Sanofi M Station is in downtown Morristown, New Jersey, within a transit-oriented development adjacent to Morristown Green.

02

How large is the project?

The workplace encompasses 260,000 square feet and was designed as one of Sanofi’s signature sites.

03

How does the project support hybrid work?

A flexible, unassigned planning model provides a range of settings, including collaborative zones, lounge areas, focus rooms, quiet spaces, and home-inspired meeting areas, allowing employees to choose how and where they work.

04

What makes the workplace hospitality-forward?

The Morris Proper, a public-facing restaurant, anchors a hospitality-driven experience that extends throughout the workplace, with concierge-style hospitality leads, a dedicated visitor and conference center, curated food experiences, wellness amenities, and destination spaces.

05

How does the project support sustainability?

Certified WELL Platinum and LEED Gold, the project is designed to use approximately 28% less energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by over 24%, while also encouraging lower-carbon commuting through subsidized transit, Wi-Fi shuttles, and EV charging.

Related Work

project

M Station at Morristown

M Station at Morristown reimagines the suburban office building as a transit-oriented development with mixed-use amenities, Class A office space, and walkability.

project

ElevateBio

ElevateBio’s hospitality-forward workplace brings its people and mission together in an environment designed to foster innovation, pride, and continued growth.

project

Edwards Lifesciences

A headquarter designed for the people behind life-saving work.

Related Expertise

Sciences Brand Design Consumer Goods Strategy Wellness

Sanofi M Station reimagines the workplace as a flagship, hospitality-forward destination, transforming the office into a place people want to be.

Sanofi’s move from a suburban campus to downtown Morristown created an opportunity to rethink how more than 2,000 employees experience work.

Why This Matters

The solution was a hospitality-forward workplace that gives employees choice, support, and reasons to engage throughout the day.

From brief to build: how a people-first strategy transformed a workplace into an environment supporting flexibility, hospitality, wellness, and connection to place.

Sanofi M Station demonstrates that when the workplace is designed as a destination, it can strengthen culture, increase presence, and extend value beyond the office.

What Changed Because of This