September 23, 2022
Ford Robotics Building at the University of Michigan wins AIA Building Award
The HED team is very proud to share that the Ford Robotics Building (FRB) at the University of Michigan has won a building award from the AIA Huron Valley chapter!
Designed to meet three critical, overarching objectives—flexibility, collaboration and innovation—the interdisciplinary facility accommodates the common needs of each research discipline and seamlessly incorporates spaces crafted to the exact specifications of individual teams: a three-story fly zone for autonomous aerial vehicles, an outdoor obstacle course for walking robots, and a high-bay garage space for self-driving cars.
Now LEED Gold certified, the facility not only places the University of Michigan among a select group of universities with a dedicated robotics facility, but also deepen the university’s relationship with Ford. In an unprecedented move, the major automobile manufacturer has leased the facility’s fourth floor, establishing its first research laboratory located on a university campus.
Designed to meet three critical, overarching objectives—flexibility, collaboration and innovation—the interdisciplinary facility accommodates the common needs of each research discipline and seamlessly incorporates spaces crafted to the exact specifications of individual teams: a three-story fly zone for autonomous aerial vehicles, an outdoor obstacle course for walking robots, and a high-bay garage space for self-driving cars.
Now LEED Gold certified, the facility not only places the University of Michigan among a select group of universities with a dedicated robotics facility, but also deepen the university’s relationship with Ford. In an unprecedented move, the major automobile manufacturer has leased the facility’s fourth floor, establishing its first research laboratory located on a university campus.
The future of robotics and autonomous vehicles is wide open; now, with a state-of-the-art facility, world-class faculty and elite student researchers, the University of Michigan is positioned to take the lead.