Rotisserie chickens and design secrets

DEARBORN, Mich. — Ford Motor is swapping its 1950s “Glass House” headquarters for a new, modern industrial facility to promote collaboration and better appease thousands of employees who have returned to offices in recent years after remote working.

The new 2.1-million-square-foot facility in Dearborn, Michigan, is ceremoniously opening Sunday, although construction is expected to continue into 2027.

It replaces a 12-story, rectangular-shaped headquarters roughly three miles away in the city that is expected to be demolished. The new building marks Ford’s sixth headquarters since its founding in 1903.

Currently nicknamed “The Hub,” the new headquarters will consolidate thousands of employees and several prior locations under one — albeit very large — roof. It is eventually expected to be home to up to 4,000 executives and employees involved with daily business operations, design and product development.

From an operational basis, the new headquarters is roughly split evenly between design and industrial operations. Design includes massive studios with hidden courtyards and a large showroom. The other half is set to be used for general business operations such as executive offices and common work and meeting areas.

There are very few actual offices outside of those for top executives, according to the company. The idea is for employees to be able to work as they choose in different areas, or “neighborhoods,” depending on what they’re working on that day, officials said. Domain staking, where employees attempt to make a space their permanent workplace, will be discouraged, said Jennifer Kolstad, global design and brand director for Ford Land, the automaker’s property management group.

“It’s not just a building. This is a space that is a tool for our employees to be more productive, to be more collaborative, and really help deliver the Ford+ plan,” said Jim Dobleske, Ford Land chair and CEO, during a tour of the building.

The Ford+ plan was introduced by CEO Jim Farley as a turnaround and efficiency plan for the automaker in 2021.

As of the end of last year, Ford employed roughly 30,500 white-collar salaried workers in the U.S. The company continues to own or utilize other properties throughout the U.S., including large bases in Dearborn and surrounding areas.

Many salaried employees are expected in offices at least four days a week, as of earlier this year, after many of them had a more loose hybrid office-home schedule following the end of the pandemic.

“We’re inviting them back into a space that is a tool to help them do their best work. And that best work tends to come with collaboration with other teams,” Dobleske said.