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Nissan Design Center Structure: Out of SightGiven our sore need for architectural inspiration, it's a shame that one of metro Detroit's best new buildings will be viewed by almost no one.
Nissan's dazzling new design center in Farmington Hills remains off-limits to all but staff.
The exterior of the lab can be glimpsed at a distance from 12 Mile Road.
But, because of tight security requirements, the innovative interior remains the private reserve of Nissan's design team.
The secrecy might be necessary, but it's too bad. La Jolla, Calif.-based architect Jennifer Luce of Luce et Studio teamed with architect of record Albert Kahn Associates to update and refresh the entire notion of what an automotive design center should be.
And Luce has turned an ordinary space into something remarkable through innovative use of materials and a handful of well-chosen elements.
Not the least of the center's charms is a California chic, a Zen like tranquility, that is at once minimalist and energetic.
Now if only more people could see it.
When the center opened in March, the element that drew the most raves was the egg, or outdoor display space for new models. Typically a design team first examines a prototype in natural light in what amounts to a yard or alley outside the studio.
Luce said she wanted the display space to express "the true desire of an automobile, t
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May 18, 2005 | Viewed 21,874 time(s)
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