How Blue Cross Blue Shield of MA Put Wellness First
Promoting the well-being of its members and associates is essential to Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (BCBSMA). In a recent move to their new headquarters in Boston’s Back Bay, the 78-year-old premier New England health insurance company pursued this goal to the max for its own associates.
BCBSMA built its new 308,000sf space to provide 1,000 associates with a state-of-the-art environment to support collaboration, productivity and wellness—mind, body and soul—in an efficient and sustainable environment.
The insurer dedicated 13,000sf of space to a cafeteria and kitchen offering predominantly healthy food choices. Located directly below the building’s mechanical floor, construction of the cafeteria, kitchen and service elevator had to be carefully coordinated with the infrastructure requirements above. Abundant natural light and a living green wall spanning two stories create a connection with the outside world.
Structure Tone installed a wellness center with a yoga room, floating floors, mirrors, locker rooms and moveable partitions for exercise and meditation breaks. To integrate exercise with work, associates can reserve walk stations—desktop surfaces with treadmills beneath and plug-in capability. Sit-to-stand desktops and ergonomic chairs are standard, along with fully equipped hydration stations.
Blue Space, a web-based program, contains up-to-the-minute wayfinding information and also serves as a reservation system for mobile workstations.
Creating a Sustainable Environment
BCBSMA set LEED® Platinum certification as a goal, minimizing the footprint of the office and incorporating energy-saving features, such as optimized daylighting with 96% of all workstations having access to natural light, and daylight savings built into a lighting system comprising 40 different types of LED fixtures. A full-service recycling program is in place for office materials and disposition of compostable materials.