It wasn’t that long ago when Ford Motor Company created its Ford Performance division (which was recently renamed Ford Racing). Ready Set Ford is the company’s first new global marketing campaign in more than 15 years. But it’s been nearly 70 years since Ford moved into its new headquarters, aka the “Glass House.” Later this year, Ford will host the grand opening of the new Ford World Headquarters at the Henry Ford II World Center product development campus in Dearborn, Michigan.
Measuring 2.1 million square-feet over four floors, Ford World Headquarters is more than double the size of its predecessor and offers room for up to 4,000 employees—twice as much as the Glass House (we have a feeling Billy Joel wasn’t allowed to visit it in 1980 for cosmetic reasons). An additional 14,000 employees will have a short, 15-minute walk away from the new facility. Those changes, plus a mix of studios, garages, fabrication shops, and individual and group workspaces, are designed to foster greater cross-department collaboration and speed up the pace of innovation and problem-solving.
In a press release, Ford said, “This is part of a larger investment in our people and our facilities across the globe. We are committed to providing employees with world-class workspaces, modern technology, and the best tools to do their life’s best work—from our global offices to our manufacturing floors. Our dealers around the world are likewise investing in their stores and service centers to elevate the customer experience.”
What will become of the Glass House? Once everyone vacates the building, it will be demolished over the course of 18 months. After that, it’s not exactly clear; Ford said, “We are working with the City of Dearborn on a plan for how the site can best serve our employees and neighbors, and we will have more to share about those plans later.”
Ford will open the doors to its new global global HQ to employees and public tours in November. It has yet to complete the landscaping and a final section of the building, but those will be done and the next chapter in Ford’s history will officially begin in 2027.
