Ford Motor Company has a new home. The automaker held the grand opening for its new world headquarters this past weekend. The building is more centrally located to the automaker's day-to-day operations, with more than 14,000 employees working within a 15-minute walk of the new HQ.
The new headquarters will fit 4,000 employees—twice as many as the previous "Glass House"—across 2.1 million square feet once it's officially completed in 2027. The building's design, led by Snøhetta, features two entrances, one for employees and one for the public.
The employee entrance is large enough to serve as an event space that can accommodate up to 700 people. There's a main showroom that serves as a review space with 10 floor turntables and the ability to open to the Colors and Materials and Digital Showrooms.
The main space features natural light and a center oculus light fixture that mimics natural light from any time of day, anywhere in the world. A courtyard adjacent to the showroom features three turntables and a mezzanine for outdoor product demonstrations.
The new building also has six design studios. Special freight elevators and 22-inch-thick concrete floors allow employees to move models and full-size vehicles throughout the facility. Ford claims the HQ's vertical design makes moving things throughout the building 80 percent more efficient than its former product development center.
There's a main eatery called the Gallery Hall, as well as several collaboration areas. There's also a "Tech Lounge" and a library area for workers who want to host intimate meetings or find a quieter place to work.
The new HQ is essential for the brand's future as the automaker focuses on collaboration. The building brings together thousands of Ford's engineering, design, and technology team members under one roof.
Ford's former headquarters, known as the Glass House, was built in 1956, and this new space is part of the automaker's larger investment in providing modern workspaces for its employees, equipped with the latest technologies and cutting-edge tools. The new HQ is located about three miles from the old one.
The automaker, like the rest of the industry, is facing an uncertain future and an existential threat from China. Ford is also attempting to redefine how it builds vehicles in an attempt to produce a $30,000 electric pickup truck, so it needs the best workplace possible to achieve such a monumental goal.
Source: Ford
