Campbell Soup Headquarters Expansion

Cost: $90 million

New Jersey Gov. Jon S. Corzine joined executives of the Campbell Soup Co. of Camden, N.Y., and hundreds of community leaders in an October groundbreaking ceremony for the soup company’s $90-million, 80,000-sq-ft world headquarters expansion.

“We’re creating an employee services building,” says Anthony Sanzio, spokesman for Campbell Soup. He likened the new facility to a student union on a college campus. It will include a cafeteria, company store, conference rooms, credit union office, fitness center and education center on the second story. The new building will connect with others on campus.

KlingStubbins of Philadelphia designed the building, which Richard Farley, principal in charge on the project for KlingStubbins, describes as a gathering spot for all members of the Campbell community. Everyone from executives to researchers to secretaries will be able to eat in the same cafe, with an elaborate soup bar; relax in the outdoor courtyard; and work out in the fitness center.

“The company’s core product line is central, basic good foods,” Farley says. “One word drove the project, and that’s wellness. That’s what they see as the corporate mission and what they want for their employees’ lifestyle.”

Campbell selected Torcon of Red Bank, N.J., to build the center, based on its experience with similar projects and knowledge of constructing LEED-certified buildings.

“It’s an aggressive schedule and an intricate design,” says Amy Novak, Torcon project manager. “We’re working hard to make sure all of the pieces Kling designed are brought to fruition.”

Greyhawk of Moorestown, N.J., serves as the owner’s representative, providing onsite construction management. The structural-steel building sits on a concrete and auger-cast pile foundation.

When complete, the center will serve as a new front door for the corporate campus. KlingStubbins describes the entrance as having a double-height atrium with an open reception and exhibition hall area. The entrance will be enclosed by a curtain-wall façade.

Graphics depicting Campbell brands will project through the glass wall to welcome staff and visitors, while light from the exterior will filter into the office spaces.

“It helps the public understand what they are all about,” Farley says. “As you walk down the atrium, it features brands that made the company what it is. And on the upper level is the Campbell signature brand on a red field.”

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Brick and colored-glass panels clad the balance of the building. Farley explains that his firm won a competitive design process in large part due to the glass jewel box that forms the entrance to the building.

The project team aims for LEED certification. Green features include energy-efficient heating and cooling systems, water conservation, recycling of construction waste and daylight harvesting.

Once the new building opens in early 2010, Campbell Soup will renovate existing employee-support areas in its 1950s-era headquarters building into office space. The global food manufacturer and marketer has been based in Camden since its founding in 1869. Approximately 1,200 full-time employees and 500 contractors work at the headquarters.

Campbell’s headquarters covers approximately 40 acres and anchors a revitalized 100-acre Camden’s Gateway District office park. The state of New Jersey and the city and county of Camden are investing $23 million to improve the area’s infrastructure, including roads and water and sewer service. Campbell will work with state and local officials to attract developers and other businesses to the park, which contains vacant and neglected buildings and empty parcels.

“Camden has been a challenged city for more than a decade, and the one guiding rock of support has been Campbell Soup,” Farley says. “This project took on a wider dimension, because of the reconfigurement of the campus and the affect on the surrounding blocks, the reconfigured roads and the future of Campbell as a gateway into that part of Camden. They have “found a way to capitalize on the signature that Campbell is and attract people who do business with Campbell.”

The soup company has dedicated a portion of its land to Camden Greenways to create multiuse public trails and pathways. Campbell and the Campbell Soup Foundation also announced a $10-million, five-year contribution to the Public Benefits Plan to revitalize Camden neighborhoods and support job-training initiatives and youth projects.

Team Box

Owner: Campbell Soup Co., Camden, N.J.
Construction Manager: Greyhawk, Moorestown, N.J.
General Contractor: Torcon, Red Bank, N.J.
Architect: KlingStubbins, Philadelphia