Under Armour to Reduce Size of Global Headquarters by 40 Percent
Add Under Armour to the list of companies that will be making working remotely — at least part of the time — a permanent reality.
The Baltimore-based sports brand said that it is scaling back the size of its new global headquarters in Port Covington, a 50-acre site in its home town that it purchased five years ago, as it moves toward a hybrid work-from-home/work-from-office model.
More from WWD
The original plan was to devote three-quarters of the 3.9 million square feet it owns at Port Covington to office space; however, the new location will be 40 percent smaller, which the company said is due to the new work model that is being instituted as a result of the pandemic.
Under Armour’s new global headquarters will be “reimagined for a post-COVID environment,” it said, and will serve to “consolidate the company’s global corporate and Americas regional functions into one location, greatly enhancing operational efficiencies and innovation capabilities.”
The company employs some 1,700 people in the Baltimore area.
In addition to office space, the new headquarters location will also feature an NCAA-regulation track and field facility, a multisport playing field and basketball courts designed to serve primarily as a testing ground for the company’s product development and sports marketing initiatives. However, the athletic facility will also be made available to the Baltimore community through shared-use agreements and for special events. The location will feature an Under Armour store.
Patrik Frisk, chief executive officer and president of Under Armour, said: “The campus will represent the future of performance grounded in innovation, that embodies the ethos we live, breathe, and sweat as a team every single day. We are excited to continue our commitment to the city of Baltimore and provide an even better workspace for teammates, a new retail location and a best-in-class athletic facility, as we plan for the future of the brand.
“In planning our new global headquarters, we utilized industry-leading commercial experts to consult on the campus’ design,” said Neil Jurgens, senior vice president of real estate at Under Armour. “In line with one of our core values, Act Sustainably, the campus will include several sustainable and intelligent building design features that align with our commitment to environmental responsibility, including substantially lowering the company’s carbon footprint and energy usage, while contributing to the overall success of the greater Baltimore community.”
Under Armour has a goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent by 2030 and convert to 80 percent renewable energy by 2025.
The new headquarters location is expected to be fully occupied by 2025.
Best of WWD
Sign up for WWD's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
