Ford Motor Co. in Dearborn is transforming its former Product Development Center (PDC) into its World Headquarters South. Construction will begin next month and is scheduled for completion in 2029.
“At Ford, we have always understood that to build a future, you have to renew the places where you work, design, and build,” says Bill Ford, executive chair of Ford. “It’s a rhythm that runs throughout our history. This is in our DNA.”
The renovation of the former PDC will include refreshing the façade and increasing natural light by adding windows and skylights while removing interior walls and drop ceilings. New amenities will include cafés, markets, wellness rooms, reflection rooms, and mothers’ rooms.
Beyond providing modernized workspace for 5,000 employees, the former PDC design studios will become a double-height, flexible workspace for labs, vehicle testing, and prototype work, the automaker says. The building also will feature a dedicated wing for meetings with vendors and visitors outside of secure Ford workspaces.
By physically connecting the two buildings, the specialty spaces will support design, engineering, and corporate teams across the entire complex.
The facility also will include a 30,000-square-foot fitness center for employees, with state-of-the-art cardio and strength-training equipment, a fitness studio, and locker rooms with showers.
When complete, the 3.3-million-square-foot World Headquarters complex will accommodate approximately 10,000 to 11,000 employees in total. In turn, around 16,000 employees will be within a 15-minute walk of one another, providing easier collaboration across the campus.
World Headquarters South also will become the new home of Ford Racing. As Ford invests in the knowledge transfer between its racing business and product development, the racing team will move from its previous location outside the main Ford campus to better collaborate with the business.
“As we deliver the Ford+ plan, our teams must collaborate more closely than ever,” says Jim Farley, president and CEO of Ford. “This includes connecting the Ford Racing teams who innovate on the track with their colleagues across the business and help bring those advances to our customers’ vehicles. And to power the best team in the industry, we’re providing modern, tech-forward workplaces, plus world-class amenities.”
Construction is expected to begin this summer on a new 3,100-space parking deck to support the broader campus, featuring EV charging stations and ADA parking, located just east of World Headquarters.
In May, several road names within the Henry Ford II World Center will change to reflect Ford’s notable products:
- Raptor Way: The ring road around the north end of campus (formerly Carroll Shelby Way West).
- Mustang Alley: Village Road between Oakwood Boulevard and Rotunda Drive.
- Bronco Bend: South Pond Road.
- Navigator Avenue: Carroll Shelby Way East.
- South Military Street and Dearborn Inn Drive will remain unchanged.
Additionally, the Experimental Vehicles Building across Oakwood Boulevard will undergo a renovation to enhance interior workspaces, adding more windows and an updated façade to align with the new campus aesthetic.
The PDC originally was built in 1953 as the center of the automaker’s Research and Engineering campus, and featured design studios, review courtyards, a design rotunda, engineering workspace, and more.
President Dwight D. Eisenhower dedicated the center via a closed-circuit television appearance — the first time a U.S. president appeared on television for a private business gathering.
