2007 AIA Michigan Design Honor Award

 Lear Corporation World Headquarters and Technology Center Complex
Southfield, Michigan

Jury Comment:
"A light and elegant layering of the rectilinear façade elements compliments the classic modernist architecture. "

Project Description:

When the time came to build a new corporate office facility, as an expression of fidelity to its workforce and the neighboring community, this Fortune 500 Company chose to remain rooted in metropolitan Detroit. Though the decision was a boon for the region, it did not come without design implications for the client. As a company that develops and exercises environmentally friendly manufacturing practices, rehabilitating the storied 52-acre brownfield site for its future home was a must. Once dotted by tool, die, wood and machine shops, the master plan and site redevelopment efforts resulted in creation of an expansive green inner-core capable of supporting 500,000 sq.ft. of office space.

As a totally integrated, global vehicle systems provider, the client was in search of a distinguished yet progressive solution for its new world headquarters. The design direction chosen was classic, minimalist and modern. All elements of the project—form, functionality, space, light and surface—coalesce to create a framework that appropriately supports the client’s design and performance goals.

The linear pattern of the three-story structure’s ethereal, glass-sheathed façade integrates with the refined rectilinear plan of the site. A solid base of European modern, terracotta rainscreen tiles—reminiscent of the client’s roots in the aerospace industry—grounds the building, while a cantilevered curtain wall extends the International design lexicon. Horizontal sun-shading elements introduced along the building’s perimeter to mitigate solar radiation harmonize with the double-glass, low-e curtain wall to create an alluring, translucent veneer for the building’s eastern facade.

Providing convenient amenities for employees, vendors and clients, the first floor houses a reception lobby and product display area, glass enclosed conference rooms, coffee shop, kitchen, cafeteria and other core service elements. A 300-seat auditorium features stepped luminous light fixtures sheathed in a seamless stretched plastic skin. Suspended from the exposed ceiling, the fixtures emit an ambient glow as they appear to float above the audience.

The second and third floors house flexible open and private offices. The use of nimble, butt-jointed glass allows borrowed light from the exterior offices to filter into the conference rooms and common spaces. Amber marble and plain-cut birdseye maple paneling were used throughout to soften the space and emanate the warmth and artistry of a finely crafted automobile interior. A frosted glass tread staircase facilitates movement between floors, but allowing natural light to filter down from the upper-story skylight and symbolically linking the CEO to employees and visitors.

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