Inspiration from a grand design – The General Motors Technical Center

The new General Motors Techni- cal Center, which was formally dedicated this spring, is the workshop of GM's research scientists, engineers and artists. But it is much more. The Center's 25 buildings, stretched over a 330-acre site near Detroit, reflect the architectural genius and technical resourcefulness of a small army of planners. When in the six years of construction a new building technique with old materials was needed, it was devised; when a new design seemed nec- essary, it was created; and when a new material was needed, it was fashioned. The direct beneficiary, of course, is GM. But in years to come, the fresh concepts of design and color will find expression in houses across the United States.

Like a family building a new house, GM faced the problem of planning with one eye to-ward the future when natural growth and changing interests would impose new demands on the Technical Center. The solution-movable interior walls and construction with modular units -is as adaptable to a house as it was to the Center. The architects, Eero Saarinen and Associates, established a standard measurement unit-a five- foot module-for all basic building components. The lighting, heating, ventilating, storage, wall and door units all are modular. Partitions can be moved overnight, and exterior wall sections can be replaced with others, either glass or solid, in minutes. What this versatility promises for tomorrow's homes is provocative. The five major buildings, in general form, are variations of the same rectilinear design, but each has its own character. And in every building, from the power plant to the styling studio, the use of color and lighting is distinctive.

Again and again, the Technical Center confirms a vital architectural point: good contemporary design may be put to many uses. Indeed, a number of American archi- tects, including some who helped plan the Center itself, have already incorpo- rated features of the project in houses they have recently designed. In addition to the handsome adaptations shown in these sketches, the Center offers many practical details that may be followed in even the smallest of houses. Through- out the entire project, there is no super- fluous molding or trim. Basic building materials are changed only when there is a perceptible change in the plane of walls. To make floor space seem larger and cleaner, synthetic tile blocks were laid with the pattern running continu- ously from block to block, instead of in the usual checkerboard manner. Heating and cooling systems use the same ducts. All hardware is made of the same metal. These and many other details reflect the infinite planning essential in building a Technical Center- or a fine house.

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source: House and Garden Magazine | June 1956