How GM Design put history and innovation at the heart of General Motors’ new global headquarters

General Motors’ new global headquarters at Hudson’s Detroit isn’t simply an office – it’s an inflection point, connecting GM’s century-long legacy in Detroit to the future of transportation. In creating this new landmark facility, GM Design crafted a collection of design details throughout our Hudson’s Detroit space, meant to pay tribute to GM’s history and inspire the next hundred years of innovation. These 10 features reflect the past, present, and future of General Motors, celebrating a legacy of craftsmanship and innovation.

Midcentury Welcome

Upon entering the Woodward Lobby at Hudson’s Detroit, visitors will encounter a welcome desk that takes inspiration from a foundational piece of mid-century modern design: The “teacup desk.” Modeled after the welcome desk at GM’s Design Center at the Global Technical Center in Warren, Michigan, this item harkens back to the groundbreaking design language created by architect Eero Saarinen for General Motors in 1953.

Entrance One

At the corner of Woodward Avenue and Nick Gilbert Way, General Motors invites the public to examine the latest vehicles in a stylish showroom setting. Named in honor of the original employee entrance at J.L. Hudson Department Store, Entrance One will feature a rotating selection of vehicles from Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet and GMC.

Sound in Sculpture

Iconic automobiles engage the senses, and sound is a bedrock part of a vehicle’s identity. GM designers captured audio profiles from a list of legendary vehicles, turning them into three-dimensional extruded sculptures that hang in the hallways of Hudson’s Detroit. From the menacing 1987 Buick GNX to the Cadillac V-Series.R race car, the 2026 Corvette ZR1X supercar to the all-electric GMC HUMMER EV, these sound signatures celebrate the fact that General Motors innovation isn’t just seen – it’s heard.

Lyrical Legends

General Motors vehicles have a long history of inspiring musicians – our brands and models have been mentioned in nearly 80,000 songs, from belt-it-out anthems to deep-cut tracks. To celebrate this incredible cultural footprint, GM Design created a mural-sized wall art installation that visualizes this musical impact in the form of thousands of cassette-tape cases – plus a few imaginary albums by GM leaders. Think of the road-trip mix you could create from this list.

Wall-to-Wall Innovation

Since the beginning of General Motors in 1911, GM has been awarded nearly 50,000 patents for new technologies and innovations. This achievement averages out to more than one new patent granted per day since GM was founded. To honor this legacy, GM Design worked with executives to hand-select more than 300 patent documents to wallpaper the global headquarters. From the electric starter that eliminated the need to crank-start a car’s engine to the world’s first mechanical heart that made open-heart surgery possible, these documents immortalize GM’s relentless spirit of innovation.

The Road to Tomorrow

Each conference room in GM’s global headquarters is named in honor of a Michigan road that brought the great minds of General Motors to their workplaces:

• Woodward: Located on the avenue where Hudson’s sits, honoring the location of the new GM Global Headquarters.
• Cass: Named for Cass Avenue, home to GM’s historic second headquarters.
• Grand Blvd: Honoring Factory Zero, a cornerstone in GM’s EV production.
• Jefferson: An homage to GM’s third global headquarters at the Renaissance Center, visible through the windows of Hudson’s Detroit.
• Mound: The road that leads to the Global Technical Center in Warren, where all GM concept vehicles have been designed and engineered since 1956.
• Stobart: A tribute to Stobart Road in Milford, home to the GM Proving Grounds.

Each room’s entry plaque is milled from solid aluminum, featuring an etched aerial map of the road that gave its name.

Cast Cars

Each conference room features a cast-metal sculpture representing a General Motors concept or production vehicle – a reminder of what brought GM to its position today. These include the Chevrolet Corvette CX concept, the 1938 Buick Y-Job (considered the first concept car), the GMC Sierra EV, the GMC HUMMER EV, the split-window 1963 Corvette Sting Ray, and the Cadillac CELESTIQ.

Echoes of Eero

Throughout the executive offices at Hudson’s Detroit, fluted wood walls serve as a subtle tribute to the interior design of the Eero Saarinen building at the Global Technical Center. This shared architectural DNA reflects the continuity of design inspiration throughout GM’s history and future.

Cabin Comforts

Detail touches connect visitors to GM’s new global headquarters with the feeling of sitting in a vehicle cockpit. The GM boardroom at Hudson’s Detroit features pillows upholstered in the same material that forms the seats in the Corvette CX concept, while the General Motors Library at Hudson’s includes pillows made from the luxurious upholstery first seen in the 1956 Cadillac lineup.

Speed Forms

When engineers and designers want to study the way air flows around a vehicle, they create “speed forms” — three-dimensional physical renderings that capture the pure shape of an automobile. Throughout GM’s new global headquarters at Hudson’s Detroit, you’ll find numerous speed forms of various sizes on display – a visual reminder that engineering, design, and art all come together to create a great vehicle.

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