Biopharmaceutical company Roivant now has a headquarters to match its Midtown Manhattan ambitions: two full floors atop One Penn Plaza, connected by a steel-and-glass staircase and outfitted with a raised lounge platform, a fitness room, and an acoustic-ceilinged event space. The build-out transformed 54,700 square feet of commercial space in the tower into a new corporate home for the company.
General contractor JRM Construction Management delivered the project, according to New York Real Estate Journal, which described Roivant as a biopharmaceutical leader now settled into a headquarters spanning two floors of the Midtown tower. The 54th floor houses open workstations, private offices, focus rooms, a mother's room, and a reception area with its own elevator lobby. One floor up, the 55th floor includes a café, a fitness room, and an event space finished with an acoustic slat ceiling.
A Staircase as Centerpiece
Tying the two floors together is what the outlet calls a feature stair, serving as both a functional connector and an architectural centerpiece. Its steel structure is paired with wood treads, wood handrails, and a glass guardrail, according to the same report. JRM Construction Management coordinated the design and engineering work behind it with architecture firm A+I, engineering firm Gardiner & Theobald, structural engineer Severud Associates, and CMTA Inc.
Joseph Romano, per the outlet's report, said the project required precision and coordination to deliver high-performance workplaces for life sciences leaders. The report notes that JRM Construction Management procured long-lead materials early in the process and focused on building a collaborative and flexible environment throughout the two floors. The completed project, the outlet states, exemplifies the contractor's ability to deliver sophisticated, high-performance corporate interiors for life sciences organizations, with the overall design aiming to foster collaboration, support productivity, and promote employee well-being.
How Roivant Landed at One Penn Plaza
The build-out follows a lease Roivant Sciences signed in October 2024 with landlord Vornado Realty Trust for 55,000 square feet spanning the 54th and 55th penthouse floors of PENN 1, at an asking rent of $140 per square foot, according to Commercial Observer. SEC filings show the lease runs through August 2041, with an early termination option available in August 2036 and options to extend the term for up to 10 additional years.
The move represented a relocation for Roivant Sciences, which shifted its headquarters from The Durst Organization's tower at 151 West 42nd Street, as The Real Deal reported at the time. Newmark representatives Neil Goldmacher and Josh Friedman brokered the deal on Roivant's behalf, while Vornado Realty Trust was represented in-house by Josh Glick and Jared Silverman. Roivant Sciences was founded in 2014 by entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, who served as CEO until 2021 and remained board chairman until stepping down in February 2023 during his 2024 U.S. presidential campaign.
Part of a Bigger Midtown Push
Vornado Realty Trust completed a $450 million redevelopment of the 57-story, 2.5-million-square-foot PENN 1 tower ahead of landing Roivant, upgrading lobbies, elevators, and exterior curtain walls while adding 160,000 square feet of food, fitness, and tenant amenities. The tower anchors Vornado's PENN District master plan, a redevelopment vision spanning more than 10 million square feet across multiple Midtown blocks surrounding Penn Station, according to CommercialSearch. PENN 1 is also participating in NYSERDA's Empire Building Challenge, undergoing deep energy retrofits targeting full carbon neutrality by 2040 through waterside heat recovery systems and electrification.
Roivant's arrival came amid a broader surge in Midtown office leasing, which hit 6.1 million square feet in the third quarter of 2024 — nearly 75% of all Manhattan deal activity and its highest quarterly volume in at least a decade, according to Transwestern market data that pointed to deals like Roivant's as a driving factor. JRM Construction Management, the contractor behind the Roivant interior, ranked 89th nationally on Engineering News-Record's 2026 Top 400 Contractors list, generating over $1.5 billion in annual construction revenue. The firm recently completed another high-profile Midtown interior job, a multi-floor JPMorgan Chase headquarters build-out that Hoodline reported won a top ENR interior prize.
