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TO NOTCH AN EIGHT-STORY addition ``into'' a two--story building, General Motors' contractors had to hack out a 200x 150-ft section of the existing building and sidle up foundations against the 45-year-old structure--without disturbing its occupants. The 1 million sq ft of new construction and the renovation of the 1.2-million-sq-ft building, which are forming GM's new Vehicle Engineering Center, are expected to help slash in half the time it takes to design new vehicles.
The complex, the focus of a $1-billion investment in GM's Warren Technical Center near Detroit, will integrate 8,000 engineers and technicians from 14 locations. The consolidation will allow GM ``to design and develop new vehicles faster,'' says Russell McLean, executive program manager for GM's Southeast Michigan Operation Consolidation Plan.
A few years ago, design--from concept to production--took five years. After the work is complete, design is expected to take as few as 24 months.
The interlocking of the buildings was done to make them appear and function...