IBM's Littleton Software Lab Slated For November Completion | Building will be center of huge campus for computer giant
PHOTO/COURTESY
An aerial view of 550 King St. in Littleton, where IBM is establishing a new software lab.
PHOTO/COURTESY
5 Technology Drive in Westford, an existing IBM location that will be retained during consolidation.
IBM Corp’s state-of-the-art software lab in Littleton is expected to house its first employees in November after renovations are complete. The software lab is the first piece of a giant puzzle that the computer maker hopes will foster more collaboration among its Massachusetts employees.
Buying Spree
IBM has bought 12 companies in Massachusetts since 2003 and as a result, the company’s operations have been spread out among various locations.
“We were very strategic in acquiring other software businesses and we wanted to create the connection points for all these groups and employees. We want to bring more innovations to the marketplace and have people share their technical expertise and share their (software) code. That will allow them to work faster, bring products to market quicker and do more innovative work,” said Beth Friday, vice president worldwide of IBM’s Rational Software group.
The software lab, currently under construction, is at 550 King St., which is a former Digital Equipment Corp, Compaq and HP complex. Departments that support the software lab — like marketing and human resources — will move into the existing IBM offices at 5 Technology Park Drive in Westford.
Time spent traveling between the spread out locations was also a factor in deciding to bring many of the groups together, Friday said.
Since 1995, the company’s Massachusetts employees have been responsible for 2,773 patents, she said. “There is a large brain trust here and we’ll be bringing them all together in this campus. Can you imagine the collaboration we’ll see?” Friday said.
Of course with Eastern Massachusetts a technology hub, IBM saw building a software development lab here as a good investment.
Among the locations IBM acquired around the state are Billerica, Burlington, Westborough, Bedford and Lexington. As the leases expire on those offices, IBM will move the groups into their new digs. About 3,700 workers should be in the two buildings by the end of 2010, Friday said, with about 2,200 in Littleton and 1,500 in Westford.
There are 5,000 IBM workers in the state, and the company will retain its Cambridge and Waltham facilities.
Nieghborly Feel
When IBM began to plan what the new software lab would be like it thought in terms of workflow and aesthetics. It has also planned the building to have a smaller carbon footprint, starting with the type of paper plates and coffee cups used.
“We had a notion to create neighborhoods that are sectioned off yet have community centers where collaboration is built right into it by common work space for groups,” Friday said. “We wanted there to be space to work together across software groups for cross-pollination of ideas.” It will also serve as a software demonstration facility for customers.
IBM also decided to provide laundry and dry cleaning services on site, as well as a small shop with odds and ends like greeting cards so employees can run errands without leaving the building.
“This campus will allow us to have a good, strong presence in Massachusetts, with high visibility that will allow us to attract and retain good employees,” Friday said. “It will also allow us to be well-integrated into the community as a premium employer.”
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