01/12/2026
“GM’s mid-century modern legacy shines in its new Detroit HQ,” written by Nate Berg, via Fast Company
General Motors opens its new corporate headquarters in Detroit today. The interior space draws on the carmaker’s deep design heritage, while facing the new dynamics of a changing industry.
Its design draws heavily on past. The overarching design language of the space comes from the mid-century modern design of the company’s main real estate footprint, the GM Technical Center, in Warren, Michigan.
Designated a National Historic Landmark, the complex first opened in 1956 with a stunning design by architect Eero Saarinen that let modernist design loose on corporate America and accelerated its infusion into the homes, furnishings, and products of the post-war world. Saarinen’s streamlined design put an emphasis on natural materials and light, and brought art into and around the buildings on the campus in a holistic way.
Elements of mid-century modernism, and Saarinen’s Technical Center specifically, wound their way into the headquarters in a wide variety of forms, from furniture pieces and material choices to the artwork on the walls.
Some elements are literal recreations. On the wall next to a waiting area outside top executive offices, steel picture frames that mount to the floor and ceiling are near-exact replicas of frames Saarinen designed for the Technical Center campus.
Scale models of cars, old and new— can be seen in almost any direction. Touches of automotive materials can also be found throughout the space, from throw pillows made out of the interior fabric used in 1956 Cadillacs to chrome pendant lights that recall muscle car tailpipes.
Read the full article :
https://www.fastcompany.com/91472349/gm-new-detroit-hq-midcentury-modern-legacy
Photo: Courtesy of GM
Excerpt: Author Nate Berg
