Chrysler Headquarters and Technology Center

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The Chrysler Headquarters and Technology Center is the headquarters of North America and a major research and development facility for car manufacturers FCA US LLC. in the United States. It is located on the outskirts of Detroit Auburn Hills, Michigan. Completed in 1996, the complex has 5,300,000 square feet (490,000 m ²) at 504 hectares (2.04 km ²) located near Interstate 75.

Video Chrysler Headquarters and Technology Center

Design

The CRSS architect designed Chrysler Technology Center in a cross-axial formation in which the overlying atrium above the concourses merges with the octagonal ray skylight at its center. The rounded exterior angle is meant to awaken the body of a polished car. Reported on NPR events according to Businessweek article, Chrysler headquarters is designed so that it can be turned into a shopping mall. It was later reported, based on mall industry analysis and speculation from local real estate investors, that the mall's design story was a hoax. Chrysler also has an executive office in the Chrysler House landmark in downtown Detroit.

The facility includes a full laboratory level with wind tunnels, a 1.8 mile evaluation road, noise/vibration facilities, electromagnetic compatibility center, environmental test center (capable of creating rain, snow, and extreme temperatures), pilot production plants and wind tunnel with thermal testing capability. A 57,000 square foot training center is included from the start, with a teleconferencing center and a fitness center. The underground passages are large enough for two cars to pass each other, allowing some testing inside the building; and test cells have their own separate grounds, to avoid vibrating the rest of the complex.

Maps Chrysler Headquarters and Technology Center

History

Construction began in 1986, and the facility was largely completed in service on October 15, 1991. It reached full occupancy in 1993. Planning for the facility began in 1984. Chrysler replaces the out-of-date Highland Park, an outdated Michigan campus, located at 12,000 Chrysler Drive. It's from Chrysler Freeway (I-75) and Davison Freeway (Route 8), with Brush Street one block away, and precedes the Chrysler Corporation's own establishment. This facility is used to improve the efficiency of product development, improve the ease of collaboration between departments, and create a more satisfactory workplace. It's about 1 mile southeast of the Highland Park Ford Plant.

SmithGroup designed the attached Chrysler Headquarters tower (1996) crowned with a marque pentastar. The Tower of the Headquarters was built between 1993 and 1996. The Walter P. Chrysler Museum, now closed also on campus.