In 2011, Waters commissioned SMMA to redesign their Massachusetts headquarters as they faced an acute space shortage due to significant growth and desires for further expansion. Nearly a decade later, the company is in the midst of shifting their business model on a global scale. As part of this effort, they recognized that the location of the headquarters was not optimal for engaging with their customers or appealing to a new generation of researchers and scientists. Kendall Square was a natural fit for Immerse Cambridge, given its proximity to famed institutions such as MIT and Harvard, as well as notable life science companies, like Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Biogen, and Takeda. Such juxtaposition will allow greater opportunity for in-person communications and collaboration, thus changing how Waters interacts with their customer base and how their customers experiences them.
Maximizing the Floor Plate
Waters Corporation is the world’s leading manufacturer of liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry systems, supplies, and laboratory informatics software. The long-time SMMA client was in need of a modern facility to serve as a flagship sales and research hub to appeal to their biotech and pharmaceutical customer base.
With their headquarters located more than 30 miles outside of the city, they opted to situate themselves in the heart of Kendall Square, an area best known for its entrepreneurial spirit and the mass of science and technology companies that call the Kendall neighborhood “home.”
Flexibility and re-configurability are the hallmarks of the new IMMERSE Cambridge: Waters Innovation & Research Lab Cambridge, influencing all aspects of design allowing our team to fully leverage and integrate members from across disciplines in the firm. This new facility was designed to be unlike any of Waters’ other spaces across the globe, boasting a range of space typologies, including demonstration areas, fully-functional labs, open office and research space, plus a cafe. Such breadth and variety are intended to inspire innovation, showcase the work of the company, connect with current and potential clients, while also attracting a new wave of talent to join the company on their mission to develop new state-of-the-art technologies.