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GM Wallace Battery Cell Innovation Center Wins International Architecture Award

GM Wallace Battery Cell Innovation Center Wins International Architecture Award

Ghafari is thrilled to announce that the General Motors Wallace Battery Cell Innovation Center has received an International Architecture Award, an honor bestowed by The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.

The GM Wallace Battery Cell Innovation Center was recognized in the corporate buildings category of the annual awards program, which received 850+ submissions this year. It’s a great honor to be included among the selected winners, which represent cutting-edge designs around the globe.

The GM Wallace Battery Cell Innovation Center is a state-of-the-art research facility located on the historic GM Global Tech Center campus planned by Eero Saarinen in Warren, Michigan. The two-story facility was designed to advance battery cell technology and provide longer-range, more affordable batteries for electric vehicles (EVs). The sculptural exterior draws inspiration from GM's rebranding goals, while the modularity of the various façade components alludes to the scalability of the battery systems.

The facility is the innovative R+D flagship of GM’s electrification program that aims to attract and retain exceptional employees and contributors to the EV revolution. This is in part achieved through state-of-the-art laboratory and collaborative work environments. Furthermore, the building's intentional orientation on the site and architectural design establishes a compelling presence of modern technologies at work.

The design provides a flexible facility for the testing and logistics of EV battery cell production. Various laboratory types and collaboration-focused office spaces support and enhance engineering innovations. The second-floor design is fully dedicated to flexible and adaptable mechanical space directly linked to the laboratories on the first floor. As the various laboratory types evolve and reconfigure, the mechanical support systems above can adapt to optimize innovation accordingly. Additionally, the site and facility are master planned and designed for strategic modular expansion, supporting growth of at least three times the initial footprint.

We are so excited to be recognized among an elite group of design firms from around the world. Imagery of the GM Wallace Battery Cell Innovation Center will be displayed alongside the other International Architecture Award winners from September 20 through October 6 at a special exhibition called “The City and the World” at the Contemporary Space Athens in Greece. The project will also be featured in a special issue of the publication Global Design + Urbanism.

Check out all of the 2024 International Architecture Award winners here.

Photos: Jason Keen

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