General Motors Design Center
GM’s new Design West building joins the existing 1950s Design Center on the General Motors Global Technical Center campus, deftly merging an advanced work environment with an architectural icon on a National Landmark site.
Client
General Motors Corporation
Location
Warren, Michigan
Markets/Services
Architecture, Commercial Office Buildings, Corporate & Commercial, Corporate Interiors, Corporate Research & Development, Interiors, Lighting Design, MEP Engineering
Size
358,450 SF
Expanding its investment in automotive design and its emphasis on electric vehicles, General Motors partnered with SmithGroup for the design/build of a major addition to its Design Center. GM wanted a space that could serve several of its automotive brands, shift with market demands and quickly flex robotics and other technologies. The project also presented another unique challenge: Create this advanced environment alongside the renowned midcentury modern Design Center and Design Auditorium (aka “The Dome”) that established the notable career of architect Eero Saarinen, on a campus designed by SmithGroup’s predecessors (Smith, Hinchman & Grylls) that is now a National Landmark.
The Design West building is an integral part of the existing Design Center, wrapping around The Dome and the courtyard used for auto display and evaluation. The bulk of the building is a double-height studio space nearly 1150 feet long. Surface plates and rails for robotic milling parallel the three walls facing the courtyard, with substantial slab-on-grade foundations to stabilize milling surfaces. Adjacent workstations for the design teams allow for hands-on clay model sculpting and digital design modifications. Upstairs, collaborative meeting and social spaces line the perimeter and are open to the work floor and presentation spaces below. Vehicle freight elevators and subterranean tunnels connect to The Dome and the Design Center.
The Design West building features several unusual design solutions to meet the specialized needs of the client. To replicate natural lighting for evaluating automotive designs, windows use low-iron glass to avoid color distortion and fabric stretched over beds of LED lights to create a unique luminous ceiling. Without ductwork in the ceiling, air handling for the vast space relies on displacement ventilation delivered through columns, supplemented by a radiant floor system and chilled beams in office areas.
Throughout its interior and exterior, the Design West building carries on the spirit of the historic campus.
It adheres to Saarinen’s 5-foot grid and a neutral façade of glazed brick, metal panels and glass. Its lobby features a monumental stair that complements those of the 1950s Design and Research buildings. Like a well-designed vehicle, it honors the legacy of the campus and the company with elegance and performance.