PROJECT HISTORY
The challenge
Delivering a gateway campus building that will be the lynch point of Ford’s new high-tech Research and Engineering campus of the future in Dearborn.
Ford Innovation Hub
Ford Innovation Hub: Transforming a Research & Engineering Campus
The solution
Full architecture, landscape design, interior design, engineering, and project management solution.
The impact
This project has enhanced operations for Ford’s designers and engineers, reduced time and investment in prototyping, and strengthened product design.
2.2m sq. ft.
building
6,000
daily on-site employees, with capacity to serve an additional 3,000+
The challenge
We’ve partnered with Ford Motor Company to help deliver a new Research and Engineering Center set to centralize Ford’s operations in Dearborn, Michigan and support increased innovation and collaboration. This project involves the architecture, interior design, engineering, intelligence/technology and security design, and landscape design in partnership with Barton Mallow, Snøhetta, and Ghafari Associates.
The solution
The world-class transformation of Ford’s Dearborn Campus includes a rich variety of shared spaces and places designed for employee and visitor experiences as they approach the building. The spaces are focused on the human experience, and the ability for the spaces to double as programmed spaces. There are a series of interior courtyards, all with their own landscape themes, and plant communities—for both employees and for programming related to research and demonstration of new products. Since 2019, we have been working closely with the project team and Ford executive leadership to realize the vision for a central campus building, the focal point of Ford’s new high-tech campus of the future.
The impact
The 2.2 million square foot building will serve as the mobility giant’s new product development center and main attraction for the recruitment and retention of top talent. Initially, it will house approximately 6,000 employees per day, with designers and vehicle development teams making up the majority.
Spaces for Unique Programs make up 30% of this research and innovation campus. They include technology rich design studios, construction shops, invention labs, critique and launch spaces, collaboration zones, and investigation garages for prototyping and problem-solving. These specialized facilities require research flexibility and future-proofing, which is achieved via modular design approaches, maximized use of moveable walls, and non-proprietary space for future expansion. First phase occupancy is occurring in Q4 in 2024, with the second and third phases complete during 2025 and 2027, respectively.
The Master Plan, at its core, creates a people-first workplace that will also prepare Ford for another century of innovation as it leads the global automotive industry into a new era of disruption. Movement within this core campus is pedestrian-focused and transit-rich, connected directly to amenities and key adjacencies and networked through a shared transportation loop, limiting personal vehicular access to the site’s perimeter. All drainage, materials, and plantings are carefully selected to support the ideas of sustainable landscapes and ecosystems that improve the rich diversity of the campus environment.
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