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Read Interior Design Magazine Feature on Ford Experience Center

Read Interior Design Magazine Feature on Ford Experience Center

A profile on the Ford Experience Center – the knowledge center for the automaker’s talent and partners – was featured in the latest issue of Interior Design.

Ghafari collaborated with Ford Land on the project, which called for the complete transformation of Ford’s 95,000 SF, two-story main events facility in Dearborn, Michigan, a previously dark and uninviting concrete structure. Ford’s leaders envisioned a dynamic hospitality-inspired hub for employees, car dealers, and major customers offering flexible event spaces, conference rooms, a café, and hot-desking, plus an on-site design lab.

“Even though the space is similar to what it was, an event center, we had to take it to the next level,” Andrew Cottrell, Ghafari’s director of design, recalls.

As the “front door” into the heart of Ford, the reimagined space creates a curated experience that fully immerses its visitors into the company’s vision: to design smart vehicles for a smart world in which freedom of movement drives human progress.

The design of the space is centered around a hospitality experience that is interactive and engaging – allowing its visitors to see and sense where Ford was yesterday, is today, and is heading tomorrow. The space is adaptable and production-ready to accommodate a wide variety of events for company partners and talent alike.

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The transformation of the facility re-skinned the facade with electrochromic glass that brings ample light to the interior but can also tint for shade. With a sharp focus on human wellness, the design incorporates two green walls in the café, called the Hive, and ensures that even enclosed rooms have natural light and views of the surrounding lawns. Terraces allow for events to flow outdoors, and the central corridor aligns with the front door of the Henry Ford Museum.

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In the central forum, polished white-terrazzo flooring and oak stadium seating form a timeless backdrop for what is in fact a high-tech, production-ready space. At the touch of a button, the lighting can change to suit a cocktail party, presentation, or launch event, and cars rotate on a turntable in the floor. Overhead, a sculpted white ceiling of acoustical plaster conceals lighting and mechanical systems, with cuts that mirror the lines in the terrazzo floor.

Read the full Interior Design profile of the Ford Experience Center here.

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Photos: Garrett Rowland

Partners: Ford Land, Illuminart, Farmboy, Denn-Co Construction, GANAS, Navy Island, Devon Industrial Group