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GENERAL MOTORS TECHNICAL CENTER FACTS

Vision: To be the automotive industry’s premier center for design and technical innovation

Dedicated: May 1956

Architectural design: Architect Eero Saarinen and landscape architect Thomas Church

Size: 1,020 acres (excludes 312 acres west of Mound Road)*

Square footage: Approximately 9 million square feet of office, shop and lab space

Current employment: About 17,000

Union : UAW Locals 160, 1869

Operations: Product development for GM’s North America and global markets; professional staffs

Products: Vehicle design and engineering; manufacturing engineering; research and development

Global customers: GM assembly plants, GM Design and Engineering facilities, GM staff and headquarters customers, joint ventures, alliances, business partners

History:

In 1945, options taken for 900 acres, then purchased the 320-acre Halmich Farm at 12 Mile and Mound roads
Saarinen designed 26 original structures for the site. Construction began in 1949. Largest corporate building project of the day, costing more than $100 million, the equivalent of about $1 billion today
Dedicated May 16, 1956 before a crowd of 5,000 GM scientists, engineers and designers, and on national television with guest speaker President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s voice transmitted via radio
The GM Technical Center is widely acclaimed for its classic International Style architecture and elaborately landscaped grounds. Life magazine hailed it the "Versailles of Industry” upon its completion in 1956
In 1986, the American Institute of Architects honored the Technical Center as the most outstanding architectural project of its era.
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in March 2000
Campus improvements: Many changes and renovations have occurred during the years.
In November 1998, GM announced its investment of $1 billion for renovations, expansion and facility upgrades to the Tech Center as part of the Southeast Michigan Campus Plan (SEMP)
Included in the SEMP was the integration and consolidation of numerous North American engineering functions from 14 locations throughout southeast Michigan to a 1.8 million sq.-ft. Vehicle Engineering Center (VEC). The VEC was officially dedicated on June 18, 2003 and houses more than 7,000 vehicle development engineers and technicians
In April 2005, GM announced the sale of its 312 acres* west of the Mound property to Grand Sakwa Properties, LLC, for a mixed-use development dubbed Heritage Village, that will include neighborhood shopping, 1,100 housing units and community recreation.
In May 2006, Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm awarded the GM Technical Center with the 2006 Governor’s Historic Preservation Award

More fun facts:

1.1 square mile complex
331.1 acres in west campus (Saarinen)
333.7 acres in east campus (Argonaut)
45.4 acres in south campus (Argonaut)
217.9 acres of forest areas, flower beds and lawn
55,000 shrubs (estimate)
25,000 trees (estimate)
174 acres of parking
38.3 acres of lakes and pools
22.9-acre main lake on west campus has average depth of 7 feet, approximately 45 million gallons of water
Movements in water fountain ballet: fantails, seven sisters, plops
6,000 gallons of water per minute in main fountain to create a 115-ft. wide, 55-ft. high “wall of water”
140-ft.-high stainless steel water tower holds an emergency supply of 250,000 gallons
18.7 miles of roads
25.5 miles of sidewalks
1.3 miles of pedestrian tunnels
Five-acre amphitheater-style Event Island on east campus accommodates up to 2,000 people
3.98-acre lake adjacent to Event Island holds nearly 1.6 million gallons of water, design depth of 1.5 ft.
8.8-acre lake surrounds Vehicle Engineering Center tower, holds 4.3 million gallons of water, design depth of 1.5 ft.

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