Newly renovated Seventh Generation HQ focuses on sustainability

Seventh Generation, the company famous for its eco-friendly and bio-based home and personal care products, recently unveiled its renovated headquarters in Burlington, Vermont. Finished in January 2020, the $3.5 million project focused on aligning employee experience with the company’s social mission and values by transitioning the global headquarters into a fully agile workplace.

office reception area with wood desk and colorful wall display of Seventh Generation products and values

An agile work environment traditionally utilizes strategies meant to optimize the use of space and promote creativity through features such as comfortable seating areas, quiet reflective spaces, outdoor workspaces and standing desks. Green-minded businesses often promote agile work spaces in order to reduce environmental footprints.

office space with wood desks and glass walls revealing orange meeting rooms

Seventh Generation took this opportunity to add free address workstations, shared community tables and individual storage lockers for its employees. There are now enclosed huddle rooms, phone booths and open scrum areas on each floor to promote flexibility and collaboration among departments, and the central atrium has been renovated to open up to adjacent workspaces on each floor. To inspire healthier eating habits, there is an onsite garden to provide vegetables for the company cafeterias. Each floor is assigned its own unique color that connects it to one of the company’s core values: nurture nature, enhance health, transform commerce and build communities.

person in labcoat in a lab making green cleaning products

The project is currently pending for LEED Gold Certification for Commercial Interiors due to its focus on sustainability. Over 90% of the construction waste from the renovation has been either recycled or diverted from landfill. The building uses 45% less than the baseline annual water use of a similarly-coded office space, and it boasts energy-efficient LED lighting and a green cleaning products policy to spare the office from harmful contaminants.

office lounge with white board and beige couches and chairs

Biophilic elements (designs choices meant to connect building occupants to nature) can be found throughout the office as well. Quality ventilation, custom planters and open workspaces integrated with greenery improve interior air quality and reflect the core ethics of the environment-focused company. Seventh Generation also tests indoor air quality regularly to ensure that employees aren’t being exposed to chemical, biological or particulate contaminants. The project was led by architect and interior design firm, TruexCullins.

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Images via TruexCullins

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