Chrysler World Headquarters and Technology Center

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Coordinates: 42°39′15.7″N 83°14′1″W / 42.654361°N 83.23361°W / 42.654361; -83.23361
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Chrysler World Headquarters and Technology Center
CRSS Inc. (Technology Center)
SmithGroup
(Headquarters)

The Chrysler World Headquarters and Technology Center (CTC) is the North American headquarters and main research and development facility for the automobile manufacturer

Stellantis North America
.

History

Before moving to the Auburn Hills headquarters, Chrysler was based at the Highland Park Chrysler Plant campus,[2] which predated the formation of the company itself. It was located along I-75, roughly one mile (1.6 km) southeast of the Highland Park Ford Plant.

Planning for the Chrysler Technology Center began in 1984, and construction started in the fall of 1986.[3] The facility was largely complete upon its dedication on October 15, 1991, and it reached full occupancy in 1993. During construction, a new exit with direct access to the complex was added to I-75.

On September 9, 1992, Chrysler announced that they would move their headquarters from the Highland Park complex to a new office tower at the Technology Center.[2] Ground was broken on the 15-floor expansion in 1993, and it was completed in 1996.

The Walter P. Chrysler Museum, opened in October 1999, was also located on the CTC campus. The museum closed in 2012. It reopened, with reduced hours, in 2016, and closed permanently in December that year. Chrysler then converted the museum building to office space, and it currently houses the US headquarters of Maserati and Alfa Romeo.[4][5] Most of the vehicles from the museum were moved to an FCA facility in Detroit formerly used as a factory for the production of the Dodge Viper, but have not been on public display since.[6]

Since the mid-2000s, Chrysler has regularly wrapped the west side of the tower with large advertisements for the company's vehicles, visible to motorists passing the complex on Interstate 75.[7]

Stellantis also maintains offices at the historic Chrysler House in downtown Detroit.[8]

Design

CRSS Architects[a] designed the Chrysler World Headquarters and Technology Center in a cross-axial formation where its elongated atrium
topped concourses converge with an octagonal radiant skylight at its center.

The tower, designed by SmithGroup, features a massive 35-foot (11 m) tall window at the top shaped like the company's five-pointed Pentastar logo.[9][10] The rounded-off exterior corners of the tower are meant to evoke a polished car body. At 249 feet (76 m) tall, it is the tallest building in the city of Auburn Hills.[11]

The facility includes a full laboratory level with various wind tunnels, a 1.8-mile (2.9 km) evaluation road, noise, vibration, and harshness testing facility, electromagnetic compatibility center, climatic wind tunnel (able to create rain, snow, and extreme temperatures), and pilot production plant. A 57,000 square feet (5,300 m2) training center was included from the start, with a teleconferencing center and fitness center. The basement hallways are large enough for two cars to pass each other, allowing some testing within the building; and the test cells have their own separate foundation, to avoid vibrating the rest of the complex.[12]

During the

automotive industry crisis of 2008–2010, some automotive news sites reported that the complex was designed to be converted to a shopping mall.[9][13] This theory was later disproved, based on mall industry analysis and speculation from local real estate investors.[14]

See also

Notes

  1. Jacobs Engineering Group
    of Pasadena, California.

References

  1. ^ "Chrysler World Headquarters and Technology Center". FCA US LLC. Archived from the original on June 13, 2021.
  2. ^
    ISSN 0362-4331
    . Retrieved January 8, 2022.
  3. ^ "Chrysler to break ground on $800-million tech center". UPI. October 27, 1986. Archived from the original on January 8, 2022. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
  4. ^ Snavely, Brent. "Maserati is headed to Auburn Hills offices". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
  5. ^ "Alfa Romeo Launches New Brand Headquarters In Italy:". MoparInsiders. April 22, 2021. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
  6. ^ "Walter P. Chrysler Museum cars get new home in old Dodge Viper factory". Autoblog. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
  7. ^ "Innovative Media Installs a Big-Time Building Wrap on Chrysler HQ". FCA Work Vehicles Blog. October 15, 2012. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
  8. ^ "Stellantis Media - Chrysler House Welcomes First Chrysler Group Employees into New Downtown Detroit Office". media.stellantisnorthamerica.com. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
  9. ^ a b "Chrysler HQ designed for mall duty if automaker leaves". Autoblog. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
  10. ^ insideauburnhills (October 23, 2017). "A city within a city – right here in Auburn Hills". Inside Auburn Hills. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
  11. ^ "Tallest buildings in Auburn Hills". Emporis. Archived from the original on January 8, 2022.
  12. ^ "Chrysler Technical Center (CTC) and Auburn Hills Complex". allpar.com. Retrieved February 13, 2013.
  13. ^ "Chrysler HQ Designed To Convert Into Shopping Mall". Jalopnik.com. May 5, 2009. Retrieved August 15, 2012.
  14. ^ Hopkins, Carol (May 5, 2009). "Turning Chrysler headquarters into a mall may be 'urban legend'". The Oakland Press. Retrieved August 15, 2012.

Further reading

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Chrysler Auburn Hills.
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