Autotech Firm Goes Vertical to Combine Workspace with Testing Facility

In January, international automotive technology provider Veoneer unveiled its newly created North American Technical Competence Center in Southfield, Michigan.

Featuring offices and testing spaces for automotive equipment, the four-story, 180,000-square-foot technical center promotes innovation through its design as an experiential, interconnected workplace, its designers say.

Going Vertical

When national architecture, consulting, engineering and planning firm HED set out to design the autotech facility, it faced a strategic challenge. The team was tasked with designing a workplace for more than 900 team members in an environment that supported the staff as well as the development and testing of automotive products. Plus, the site itself came with constraints on the amount of land that could be developed.

These factors led HED to consider a more vertical technical workplace facility, which is unique to the region.

“Being adjacent to a lush protected wetland — and also in a location where elevation provides the opportunity for distant views — further supported the building stack," says Timothy Gawel, a corporate and commercial studio leader with HED.

Maximizing Building Potential

Once HED landed on a stacked layout, their team was able to set aside each of the four-star building's four floors for a distinct purpose.

“This unique stacking of the program allows the new facility to be contained within a compact, simple, cost-effective, four-story volume that allows the developer to maximize the square footage and overall value potential of the site," says Gawel.

The top floor features a café, fitness center, balcony and training spaces, giving employees a chance to relax, socialize and enjoy views of the adjacent wetland.

This stacked design opens up the first floor for automotive research and testing labs, providing space for Veoneer to design its software, hardware and systems for active safety, collaborative and autonomous driving, occupant protection and brake control.

“Many of the labs have unique vibration, weight requirements, vehicle access and utility services that are most effectively met in a ground-level location," says Gawel. “Large structural clear spans further enhance the flexibility of the laboratory spaces on the first floor."

The second and third floors are set aside for the engineers, providing an environment that promotes product advancement and innovation. Conversations about proprietary programs can happen freely in a private space, unimpeded by considerations of visitors or others.

Promoting Collaboration

While restrooms, elevators and stairwells are normally centralized within a building to maximize window potential and tenant suites, HED chose to pull the support core to the building's exterior instead, creating space for a centralized hub in this single-tenant facility.

This “linear collaborative spine" of the building promotes team meetings and greater social interaction, says Gawel. “The hub is highly visible, quickly accessed, and increases the mission of speed to innovation."

In addition, HED selected an expansive 15-foot floor-to-ceiling height, allowing maximum daylight and outdoor views to enhance the centralized hub location.

“The result of the collaborative and support hub is a flexible, team-based platform that maximizes potential for reconfiguration and response to an ever-changing automotive marketplace," says Gawel.

Boosting Flexibility

In addition to the collaborative hub, vertically stacked daylit working lounges promote connections and exchange throughout the work environment.

“The lounges' amenities, distant views, south sun, and feature architecture attract, inspire and energize teams," says Gawel.

To further increase the flexibility of the space, all offices are situated at the east and west ends of the building. This allows the smaller offices and their windows to buffer and protect the larger floor plate against heat and glare from the sun, he adds.

Gawel believes the new space truly promotes innovation and collaboration through design. “The new Veoneer facility incorporates a lean approach to create a focused, mission-driven space," says Gawel.

CoStar estimates rent for this property, owned by Detroit-based Jonna Companies, at $8-10 per square foot.