See How a Clay Model Brings Ford’s New World Headquarters to Life

By: Paul Kampe , Ford Communications Team

Clay models have long been a fixture of the automotive industry’s design phase, but one recent Ford project may be the first re-creation of its type in the history of the company: a replica of the new World Headquarters building on Ford’s Dearborn campus.

The clay architectural model was created by 35 Ford team members over just five weeks, fittingly, from inside that very same facility as it was also in its final stages of coming to life. The diverse creative backgrounds of the trio who led the project, which includes work in ceramics and architecture, helped guide their work as they transformed the new WHQ into another medium.

Designed for designers

The project, and the material used to create it, reflects the makeup of many of the building’s residents. The New WHQ will house an expected six studios and a first-floor fabrication department for painting and rapid prototyping, as well as wood, metal and trim creation.

“It’s a very human-centered space,” said lead clay sculptor Jeff Royer, who added that the miniature World Headquarters would serve as an excellent wayfinding tool for the real-life space, which sits on the site of the former Product Development Center (PDC). “One thing that’s very clear is the quality of light from the natural lighting in the studios. That’s something we’re not used to from the old PDC.”

Lead sculptor Anna Burke has been working at the New WHQ since spring, giving her a front-row seat as it has been nearing completion.

“It’s been really exciting, and each week or month things change, and more hallways are opened up or more doors are finished or suddenly they remove some drywall and there’s a whole new bank of elevators,” she said, noting amenities like well-equipped focus rooms.

“It’s been an evolution and the amount of work and coordination across the board that’s gone into it is amazing.

Making the mold

In creating the model, team members had to re-imagine the long-awaited new 2.1 million-square-foot space located at Oakwood Boulevard and Village Road in approximately 150 pounds of clay. The material is formed around a foam framework beneath.

The creation of the model was similar to vehicle clay models that many Ford team members are used to seeing. Typical clay models have a metal skeleton, plywood, and foam topped by a couple of inches of clay. Sean VandenBrink, one of the clay sculptors who worked on the WHQ model project, explained that clay is more of a moldable, wax-like substance than the name suggests.

“We don’t do anything halfway. We always try and bring it to the next level.”

Anna Burke, Lead Sculptor

“There was a lot of nice overlap to what our process is in terms of why we make three-dimensional cars rather than just relying on a sketch or an image,” he said. “Physical space helps you understand it in a different way, and that was definitely the case seeing this model and being able to be around it.

"To see it in a space physically helps you catch a vision for what it’s going to be like.”

The team also took advantage of large-scale 3D printing capabilities available at the new World Headquarters to produce the detailed center courtyards of the model. Also, a custom wood table was built to support the creation.

Tight turnaround

The team leaned into the Ford OS behaviors: focus, excellence, and collaboration, to deliver the clay model project in just five weeks. Burke said they went the extra mile to deliver excellence, such as matching paints to the color of the clay for consistency.

“We don’t do anything halfway in the Fabrication and Modeling team," she said. "We always try and bring it to the next level.”

Royer added that the phrase “good enough” is rarely used in their line of work.

Collaboration played a significant role in the project, including the work of the Ford Land Design team and construction partners who helped deliver the digital files of the building needed to kick off the design process. The clay modelers also worked with members of several other teams, including Digital Modeling, 3D Printing, as well as Clay and Foam Milling teams in turning what was once just 3D design files into their replica.

Burke noted that the model assignment gave its makers more creative freedom than a typical project, while Royer said he enjoyed the break from the norm and the support from management to enable the group’s artistic direction.

“It was an honor to be given the opportunity, and it was really fun,” he said. “It was really an eye-opening and different process. It was nice to have our day-to-day rhythm interrupted and changed in a new way. And I would imagine in some way, shape, or form, it influences work we do in the future on our own programs here within Ford.”

Keep up with the latest Ford news, fan favorites, employee experiences and customer stories on From the Road.