To design the new center building the fisher brothers turned to albert kahn who was already a superstar in the field of commercial and industrial architecture.
Albert kahn ford factory design open floor plan.
The highland park ford plant was designed by albert kahn associates in 1908 and was opened in 1910.
Reinforced concrete enabled kahn to design large.
Kahn s first factory for the ford motor company was the highland park plant in 1909.
With the rise of factory architecture and the rapid rate of growth in the industrial sector research for new solutions for production space was required.
Architect of ford 1993 p.
Kahn s discussions with ford inspired him to develop factory floor plans that would accommodate both changes in production technology and the easy flow of products and materials throughout the factory space.
Kahn s first ford factory the 1909 highland park plant used elevators and dumbwaiters to spread the model t assembly line over several floors but most of his subsequent factories were huge.
Ford automotive production had previously taken place at the ford piquette avenue plant where the first model ts were built the highland park ford plant was approximately 4 miles 6 4 km northwest of the original dodge brothers factory who were subcontractors for ford producing.
In his time he was considered the world s foremost industrial architect and the father of modern factory design kahn s father a rabbi brought his family to the united states in 1881.
Kahn then used this technology in his designs for the palms apartments 1903 and the packard automotive plant 1905 the first use of reinforced concrete in automotive factory design in the country.