Ford Innovation and Research Center

Project Details

Project Description

In 2016, Ford established its Research Innovation Center (RIC) in Palo Alto, CA in order to take advantage of the technology knowledge base of the Silicon Valley, particularly as it pertains to their intense research goals into the development of autonomous vehicles. The company had, after all, announced that they would put a fully autonomous vehicle on the road by 2021. After being introduced to HED’s technology team in San Francisco, Ford selected the project team to renovate a cold-shell facility that had been leased from Goldman Sachs after having been unoccupied for many years in the Stanford Research Park. Ford had very precise goals which dictated their needs for a technology research center that would house the team that was to foster Ford’s leadership in the autonomous vehicle market. But the project also presented many complexities that required a great deal of resolution. The Ford Research and Innovation Center today incorporates two separate 75,000 square foot buildings that were built in 2001 and left in shell form at the time. XL Construction served as the general contractor working as the design-build partner with Harley Ellis Deveraux (HED) Architects to complete the exterior and interior build-out. The scope of work includes: • A 5,000 square foot design showroom and auditorium • A new 1,500 square foot audio lab in the parking garage • Custom vehicle entry to auditorium showroom • Extensive landscape and irrigation upgrades • Extensive site upgrades for code-compliant access • Installation of 24 dual head EV car chargers • 100,000 square foot of raised access floor system • New structural retrofit for six new staircases • Complete new MEPF systems installation • Installation of new elevators • Custom research rooms • Conference rooms and private offices • Open office and collaboration spaces • Three large kitchen and break areas with tables and banquette style seating • Two mother rooms • Four restroom cores including showers • Sustainable design and construction