General Motors Renaissance Center

GM

Project Facts
  • Completion Year 2005
  • Design Finish Year 1998
  • Size Site Area: 14 acres Building Height: 727 feet Number of Stories: 75 Building Gross Area: 5,552,000 square feet
  • Rentable Area 2,540,642.00 sq ft
  • Collaborators
    Bei Associates, Inc. Gannett Fleming Hamilton Anderson Associates Metro Transportation Group, Inc. Persohn / Hahn Associates, Inc. Rja Group Rowan Williams Davies & Irwin Inc. (RWDI) Jensen Hughes Shiner + Associates Douglas|Group, Inc., The Thomas Ricca & Associates Cte Engineers Arup - New York Walker Parking Consultants Bbgm Architects & Interiors Olin Bltwl (University Of Western Ontario) Ghafari - Dearborn Halverson Architects Peter M. Muller, Inc. Aaron Cohen Associates Brenia & Associates Ford & Earl Associates, Inc. Danny Lane H.B. Stubbs Nautilus Penny Lake Heitmann & Associates Cerami & Associates Shen Milsom & Wilke Gensler Fisher Marantz Stone Turner Bailey Brinker Hines
Project Facts
  • Completion Year 2005
  • Design Finish Year 1998
  • Size Site Area: 14 acres Building Height: 727 feet Number of Stories: 75 Building Gross Area: 5,552,000 square feet
  • Rentable Area 2,540,642.00 sq ft
  • Collaborators
    Bei Associates, Inc. Gannett Fleming Hamilton Anderson Associates Metro Transportation Group, Inc. Persohn / Hahn Associates, Inc. Rja Group Rowan Williams Davies & Irwin Inc. (RWDI) Jensen Hughes Shiner + Associates Douglas|Group, Inc., The Thomas Ricca & Associates Cte Engineers Arup - New York Walker Parking Consultants Bbgm Architects & Interiors Olin Bltwl (University Of Western Ontario) Ghafari - Dearborn Halverson Architects Peter M. Muller, Inc. Aaron Cohen Associates Brenia & Associates Ford & Earl Associates, Inc. Danny Lane H.B. Stubbs Nautilus Penny Lake Heitmann & Associates Cerami & Associates Shen Milsom & Wilke Gensler Fisher Marantz Stone Turner Bailey Brinker Hines

The General Motors Renaissance Center represents one of the largest corporate relocations in history. In redesigning the mammoth 1970s-era complex to accommodate GM’s major divisions, SOM drew on its integrated architecture, engineering, and urban design capabilities. The resulting plan guides the redevelopment of the 5.5-million-square-foot complex, reconnecting the notoriously isolated megastructure with downtown Detroit.

In addition to office facilities, the project includes a GM Museum, GM University, and a 1,400-room Marriott Hotel. In order to improve accessibility, SOM reconfigured the surrounding roadway network, introducing a grand entry boulevard and a riverfront promenade.

Two concrete berms, which contained the center’s heating and cooling facilities but formed a barrier to the city, were replaced with a pedestrian-friendly plaza and entrance pavilion. The five-story, south-facing Wintergarden, containing shops and restaurants, also helps reconnect the headquarters with downtown, as does the River East Master Plan, which creates an entirely new, mixed-use neighborhood.

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