Dive Brief:

• Ford Motor Company has announced an estimated $1.2 billion, 7.5 million-square-foot, 10-year plan to transform the nearly 70 buildings that make up its Dearborn, Michigan offices into a state-of-the-art research and development campus, the Detroit Free Press reported. 
• The auto manufacturing giant said it has been planning this project for three years in order to ultimately give employees a comfortable, modernized space.
• The overhaul will also result in 300% more open office areas, conference rooms and open meeting spaces. Ford's plans also include work at Ford World Headquarters and a new building for Ford Motor Credit.

Dive Insight:

Ford officials said that not only will they revamp existing buildings, but they will also build a new research and development center that "generates more energy than it consumes." In addition, the automaker said it plans to outfit all of the campus buildings for maximum sustainability and eco-friendliness and to build a 700,000 square-foot design center as the product campus "centerpiece."

"When you look at our research and development center, it will have a lot of green areas that will link buildings with walking trails, bike paths and covered walkways. We will have autonomous vehicles, and on-demand shuttles and e-bikes across the campus," Ford CEO Mark Fields told the Free Press. "It will look like a very modern, forward-thinking company that takes sustainability and the environment very seriously."

Ford Land, the automaker’s real estate management company, will oversee the construction, as well as the demolition of the original Ford research and engineering campus, which was officially opened by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1953. Ford officials said that a salvageable 14,000-square-foot section of the building will be renovated and used for events.

Focus on green building and sustainable construction has grown in recent years, as companies aim to build structures that both promote wellness for the occupants inside and are environmentally friendly. USA Today reported that the real motive behind all the "hip" modernization and upgrades could be the retention of employees that are being lured away by Silicon Valley tech companies, which are launching their own autonomous vehicle and electric car projects.