The transformed plant assembles all the pieces of an innovation district within one city block. Designed for cutting-edge cancer and immunology research, the building consolidates academic researchers and private industry tenants into one central location. Generous amenity, retail, and conferencing space will help attract top talent while serving tenants and the surrounding community. The success of this adaptive use project lies in its balance of great creativity and great restraint. The design sensitively rehabilitated the eight-story Ford plant while leaving many of its original architectural details intact.
The plant’s vertical crane shed—a distinct architectural element where rail cars once entered the building to offload auto components—has been restored and transformed into an atrium for collaboration and social functions. Imbued with authentic character, the original corner showroom has been reinvented as community-serving retail. A new laboratory tower and parking facility has been inserted adjacent to the Ford Plant. Clad in precast terracotta, the new addition complements the brick plant in materiality, form, and industrial character while remaining architecturally distinct.
A landscaped terrace connects the old and new structures. The adaptive reuse of this historic relic into a center for biomedical research presents a case study in how industrial architecture can be revitalized for tomorrow’s economy.