GM Announces Next Phase for Design Unit
The 360,000-square-foot expansion of the GM Design studios in Warren, Micn., is the final stage of a $1 billion investment in GM's Global Technical Center, which is a National Historic Landmark site.
General Motors announced Aug. 30 that it will break ground in mid-2018 on a new studio building that will surround the Design Dome Auditorium and viewing patio in Warren, Mich., and will connect to the existing Design Center. The 360,000-square-foot expansion of the GM Design studios is the final stage of a $1 billion investment in GM's Global Technical Center, which is a National Historic Landmark site.
GM Design was established in 1927.
The new studio building is a "substantial two-to-three-year project" because its footprint first requires the completion of a new parking structure currently under way at the southwest corner of the campus, according to its announcement.
"We can only begin to predict how mobility will change in future generations," said Michael Simcoe, vice president of Global Design. "Investing in our creative and skilled team and providing them with inspiring, modern spaces, new technologies, and more ways to work together will foster innovation that leads to real solutions for customers."
GM previously announced a multiyear Technical Center campus investment that includes new construction, renovations of some existing facilities, and the expansion of some operations. Construction on this began in May 2015. The building renovations include a Vehicle Engineering Center; and Alternative Energy Center that includes a new Structural Development Lab; pre-production operations; and Engineering West and South.
GM said design and construction for the new Design studios is managed by Walbridge in partnership with SmithGroup JJR.