DETROIT BUSINESS MAIN 06-01-03 A 54,55 CDB 5/14/03 4:23 PM Page 1

Page 54 CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS: THE FORD LEGACY Summer 2003 The companies From Albert Kahn’s plants to today’s green Driving design wonders, architects and builders shape future

BY JENNETTE SMITH en Albert Kahn out of the said top executives of the firm. CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS Midwest, we probably would The Scientific Research have ended up a small, Mid- Laboratory in Dearborn is hen Henry Ford ap- west firm,” Robinson said. one such example. One recent proached Detroit ar- While Kahn’s ties to Ford project for the lab involved W chitect Albert Kahn are legendary, many local de- adding a simulator for re- about designing his Highland sign and construction firms search on how people react Park assembly plant, Kahn consider Ford an essential when using cell phones, said was more than slightly skep- part of their client roster. Fareed Rifat, principal with tical. That includes HarleyEllis, HarleyEllis’ automotive and Ford wanted a four-story SmithGroup Inc., Arcadis, Ghafari industrial studio. plant that would allow con- Associates, Midwest Steel, Wal- Ford has commissioned struction to start at the top bridge Aldinger Co., Barton Mal- HarleyEllis for much of the and move down — the first ow Co. and J.M. Olson Corp. renovation work on its head- major moving assembly line. As Ford evolved, changed quarters, test-track design, He also wanted durable mate- its products, and experienced paint sludge systems and rials and more natural light. upturns and downturns, these wind tunnels to test how cars Kahn set to work and came companies went with it. and trucks respond in severe up with the historic design for Jim Page, a corporate exec- weather. It is now working on the Highland Park plant that utive at HarleyEllis, recalls master planning for the Rouge was built in 1909. Concrete the 1970s, when the energy complex and the Rouge Visi- construction provided greater crisis led to an aggressive ef- tor Center to go along with a spans and larger wall open- fort to convert to smaller car factory tour program through ings. A vast skylight spread production. One particular The Henry Ford. light through workspaces. “The key is to kind of an- ticipate where they are go- ing and try to be ahead of the curve,” Rifat said. “It’s

been a true partnership PHOTO COURTESY OF ALBERT KAHN ASSOCIATES, INC. and working relationship.” The Southfield office of Albert Kahn was skeptical about designing the Highland Park plant for Henry Ford, but his success with the project cemented a lifelong Arcadis is working on the relationship with Ford and brought the company international renown. overall rebuilding of the Rouge complex. short time frame,” he said. Ford has also given Detroit Carl Roehling, president “We make it happen.” contractors and designers the and CEO of Detroit-based Other Midwest Steel as- opportunity to work on pro- SmithGroup Inc., said Ford signments have been in re- jects internationally. Haller has been ahead of the curve sponse to changes in automo- said Ford was the first client in adopting new trends in tive production equipment. A to take Walbridge out of the design and construction. job in Cleveland required the United States to work on pro- William Clay Ford Jr.’s en- use of hydraulic jacks to raise jects in Asia and Europe. vironmental leadership is a roof because an engine More historically, Albert the most recent example, plant needed a higher roof for Kahn Associates’ Robinson he said. new equipment, Broad said. said that when Ford took Roehling and Page said Doug Maibach, group vice Kahn on his travels to Russia Ford has consistently president for Barton Malow, in the late 1920s, it led to the raised the level of perfor- said the schedule to ready the design of more than 500 trac- mance and quality re- Wyandotte Assembly plant tor and truck plants for Ford quired of the design field. for building the original Ford and the Soviet government. Richard Haller, presi- Mustang in 1964 was extreme- War efforts were the initial dent and COO of Wal- ly aggressive. “When you focus for the Rouge complex bridge Aldinger, said Ford have challenges like that, it’s — in fact, building a subma- has promoted “lean con- exciting,” he said. rine chaser, the Eagle. Kahn struction” principles remi- More recently, Barton Mal- also designed most of the orig- niscent of lean manufac- ow was hired for the expan- inal buildings at the Rouge turing principles that call sion of the Wixom plant. It has and the Willow Run Bomber for continual improve- worked on several other plant Plant in Ypsilanti. ment and efficiency. Simi- and test-lab projects as well. PHOTO COURTESY OF ALBERT KAHN ASSOCIATES, INC. larly, lean construction A theme to Ford projects is The use of skylights to allow calls for streamlining by innovation that helps drive more natural light to flow “Albert took it cost savings, Maibach said. through the plant was a plant changeover was com- eliminating steps. as a real challenge The projects also give contrac- breakthrough at the Albert pleted in six months instead Ford also was one of the Kahn-designed Ford plant in to give him what of the normal two years. first firms to encourage a “de- tors a chance to test the limit Highland Park (above). he wanted,” said “We were commissioned to sign-build” method, said Den- of construction materials, Charles Robinson, work with Ford on the con- nis King, HarleyEllis chair- with high-tech assignments senior vice presi- version of the Wayne Assem- man and president. Ford such as wind tunnels and dy- dent and director of engineer- bly plant to small car produc- selects architects and engi- namometers, he said. ing services for Albert Kahn As- tion,” he said. “We, along neers and construction con- Chuni Gala, president and sociates Inc. with a lot of contractors, tractors and forms a team at owner of Beverly Hills-based That project helped seal a worked nearly around the the beginning of a project in- engineering and architectur- relationship that became a clock to respond.” stead of waiting until after al firm Gala & Associates, re- close friendship and earned HarleyEllis’ first project for the design is completed. called a challenge from Ford Kahn a role as one of Ford’s Ford was when predecessor That said, there are still on how to reconfigure a vehi- “lieutenants,” according to company Harley Ellington De- plenty of emergency assign- cle-conveyance system when historians. It also secured Al- sign designed an aluminum- ments for contractors with a building structure separat- bert Kahn Associates a place casting plant in Alabama in longtime relationships with ed assembly and coating ar- as an architecture and engi- 1958. Plant additions and reno- Ford. Gary Broad, president eas. The answer was a system More recent Albert Kahn neering firm that would grow vations have given HarleyEl- of Midwest Steel in Detroit, that took vehicles through the projects for Ford include up- as Ford and industrial manu- lis more than 2,000 assign- can remember responding to roof, outside, across the roof grades to office buildings and facturing did. Albert Kahn ments in the years since. The hurricane damage and other and back down with a series testing centers such as the traveled with Ford to Brazil, assignments gave the compa- projects with short deadlines. of large tubes. The process Advanced Engineering Cen- Russia and elsewhere, and ny a chance to challenge its ar- “The projects they want us was later used in eight plants. ter in Dearborn and the Dear- Kahn’s relationship with Ford chitects and engineers on lab- to do are the large, impossi- Gala has worked at Ford as- born Stamping plant. Motor Co. led to other work. oratories, assembly lines, ble-schedule ones where they sembly plants throughout Jennette Smith: (313) 446- “If Henry Ford hadn’t tak- offices and testing centers, have to be done in a very North America. 0414, [email protected]