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Related Topics

• GM's global Engineering Centers

• The International Technical Development Center at Opel

• Vauxhall´s new Engineering Center

• The new GM Vehicle Center in Warren

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New GM Vehicle Engineering Center To Dramatically Change Warren Skyline

Photo: GM

"The tower's distinctive form over the water will express a forward-looking image reflecting the spirit of innovation that has been at the heart of GM's history and tradition," said Gerald Elson, GM vice president and general manager, mid-size and luxury cars, North America Car Group. The creation of a new, world-class VEC at the Warren Technology Center will bring 8,000 engineers and technicians of GM's North America Car Engineering together in one flexible, worker-friendly, high-tech environment, he said.

The unified VEC is a key element in GM's $1 billion investment in the Warren campus that will consolidate car engineering functions, formerly performed at 14 locations throughout Southeast Michigan, and enable GM to design, develop, and deliver competitive vehicles on a global and timely basis.

Part of GM's Southeast Michigan Campus Plan unveiled last November, the bold initiative positions Warren as a major center in GM's Global Engineering Enterprise. It is one of three global vehicle engineering centers for the corporation, along with the Truck Product Center at Centerpoint in Pontiac, Mich., and the International Technical Development Center (ITDC) in Russelsheim, Germany.

The VEC is designed to enhance the interaction, communication, productivity, and efficiency of GM's engineering staff. With state-of-the-art interiors and amenities, the facility will help GM continue to attract and support top engineering and technical talent.

"The design of the VEC is driven by engineering teamwork. We sought ways to bring people together and to help them make connections during their business day," comments Mark Miller, project director for architecture and planning for San Francisco-based Kaplan-McLaughlin-Diaz (KMD). The internationally recognized architecture and planning firm is serving as master architect for the Warren campus plan and VEC building.

"Our goal is to create physical facilities that support General Motors' corporate mission. The VEC represents innovation, technology, flexibility, and excitement. It embodies a shift to a new way of doing business at GM," Miller continues. One of the largest single-tenant office buildings in the country, the VEC includes:

• an existing VEC facility, formerly the Mid-size and Luxury Car headquarters building

• a 2-story, sky-lit hub, serving as a central commons and activity-filled gathering space with retail and café amenities and exhibition areas

• the 1 million sq. ft. tower extension with a 2-story, 1,000 seat, multi-function "cafetorium" for dining and auditorium conference center, and 7-story office space above

• an enclosed parking structure to the south of the VEC, adding 3,000 parking spaces to the campus on four levels

• a renovated 82,000-sq. ft. office building, formerly called the photographic building

The entrance and approach to the VEC strengthens its ties to the entire Tech Center, supporting GM's objective of unifying the campus. The new tower also realizes the original vision for a vertical element on the lake by the noted architect Eero Saarinen who master planned and designed the original award-winning Warren Technology Center between 1946 and 1952.

The integrated master plan calls for new circulation systems that will move people efficiently throughout the Tech Center, and foster both the formal and informal opportunities for communication and interaction. A loop road will organize vehicular traffic around the campus. A landscaped pedestrian green belt called the Saarinen Mall will connect the east and west sectors of the campus together with a future vision for an activity-lined outdoor area. An improved and expanded internal transit service will also link the buildings on the campus, with connections every few minutes at 95 percent of the buildings on site.

State-of-the-art engineering systems, abundant natural lighting afforded to VEC occupants, and landscaping elements provide a safe, comfortable, and attractive employee-friendly environment. Open office workstations conform to GM's template for common interior office workstations.

The new tower extension's exterior curtain wall, bold expressions, and bright colors were carefully designed to extend the integrity of the historic Saarinen legacy, yet with an interpretation in contemporary terms that advances GM into the next millennium. The scale and massing of the large tower - more than 600 feet long and over 170 feet wide - is broken down by focal points in the facade: vibrant metal-paneled cylindrical forms housing the lower level conference areas, an exterior staircase, and an identifiable, blue spine extending the length of the tower. Terraces and platforms on the lakefront elevation offer backdrops for events, displays, and outdoor dining.

Construction for the VEC structure will be multi-phased to minimize disruption to ongoing operations. Groundbreaking is set for August 5, 1999. Occupancy of the tower extension portion is scheduled to begin in August 2001, and the remainder of the entire project is to be completed in early-2002. Ove Arup & Partners of San Francisco is lead design engineer in joint collaboration with KMD for the project. The construction manager is Parsons Brinckerhoff Construction Services of Chicago, who served as program manager for the Warren Campus Plan.