Table of Contents
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, Michigan, US.
2.1 million
Like many global companies, Ford Motor Company faced a post-COVID challenge: how to create a workplace that could attract and retain top talent, particularly younger generations, while expanding the company’s product offerings to better serve customers. The Dearborn, Michigan, US campus needed to consolidate operations, centralize product development, and provide a future-proof environment for research and engineering. Beyond function, Ford sought a workplace that would inspire, engage, and connect its workforce across digital and physical spaces, an innovation hub that would redefine how technology, people, and place intersect.
The solution
Full architecture, landscape design, interior design, engineering, and project management solution.
6,000
Arcadis, as Architect and Engineer of Record, has delivered a truly holistic workplace for Ford alongside Snøhetta and Ghafari Associates. Our role extended beyond architecture, landscape architecture, and engineering into intelligence, ICT systems design, digital equity, and advanced security—creating one of the first smart buildings of its kind in the automotive sector.
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The solution was developed through a test-bed process at Ford’s Advanced Engineering Center (AEC). There, in an 80,000 square foot, 4-level building, Arcadis helped prototype and implement innovations including:
• Smart systems integration: from drone-enabled surveillance and secure ICT networks to interactive visitor experiences.
• Next-generation network design: replacing traditional communication rooms with deep fiber “zone boxes” to meet escalating bandwidth demands and enable high-performance modeling.
• Human-centered design: multi-view and inclusive collaboration tools that ensure equal engagement for remote and in-person participants.
• Sustainable smart features: integrated solar shading concepts, smart restrooms with real-time monitoring, and reconfigurable digital infrastructure.
By embedding systems thinking and human-centered technology, the new 2.1 million square foot hub supports more than 6,000 employees daily across research labs, invention studios, prototyping shops, collaboration zones, and demonstration courtyards. This integrated approach allows Ford not only to visualize but also to physically test and evolve the future of mobility and workplace design.
The impact
This project has enhanced operations for Ford’s designers and engineers, reduced time and investment in prototyping, and strengthened product design.
First-of-its-kind
The Ford World Headquarters demonstrates the power of technology-enabled, human-centered design. By merging workplace strategy, ICT systems, security, and digital innovation into one cohesive project, Arcadis has helped Ford create a global first: a corporate research hub as intelligent and adaptive as the vehicles it develops.
The result is more than a headquarters; it is a living laboratory where technology, design, and people meet. A place that positions Ford to compete for top talent, accelerate its EV and autonomous vehicle future, and inspire a new generation of innovation in mobility and workplace design.
Behind the solution
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