WARREN - The largest new construction/renovation project ever at the massive General Motors Technical Center is changing the 630-acre campus into modern working space that's ready for the future.

The campus is in the fourth year of a six-year, $1 billion transformation. The largest portion of the project, currently under construction, is a nine-story, one million square-foot high-rise that is the signature building on the site. Numerous other buildings at the tech center have been or will be renovated as part of the project.

"It's the largest non-manufacturing construction investment G.M. has ever made," said David Witt, G.M.'s program manager, Worldwide Facilities Group. "The real challenge out here is that we're doing all this work while the existing buildings are still occupied. You cut off power and you hear about it very quickly. But we've been fortunate. Things have gone very well."

Approximately 650 construction workers are at the site, working for construction manager Parsons Brinckerhoff and a slew of subcontractors.

The nine-story tower, built next to an artificial lake, is the focal point of the 2.4 million square-foot Vehicle Engineering Center complex.

"The tower's distinctive form over the water will express a forward-looking image reflecting the spirit of innovation that has been at the heart of GM's history and tradition," said Gerald Elson, GM vice president and general manager, mid-size and luxury cars, North America Car Group. The VEC will bring 8,000 engineers and technicians of GM's North America Car Engineering together in one "flexible, worker-friendly, high-tech environment," he said.

The unified VEC will consolidate car engineering functions formerly performed at 14 locations throughout Southeast Michigan, and enable GM to design, develop, and deliver competitive vehicles on a global and timely basis. The entire tech center site can employ up to 20,000 workers; currently 17,000-18,000 work there.

The VEC includes the existing former Mid-size and Luxury Car headquarters building, a 3,200-space parking structure, a renovated 82,000-square-foot office building, formerly called the photographic building, and the tower.

The tower includes a two-story, 1,400-seat, multi-function "cafetorium" to be used for dining and as an auditorium conference center, and seven stories of office space above. The office space is designed for maximum flexibility, with routes for wiring underneath the floors.

The GM Tech Center was dedicated on May 16, 1956, marking the creation of the world's first campus of buildings designed with a specific function to support a corporation's technological research and development. The site created history: In 2000, the tech center site was put on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Michigan Historical Center marker at the site hails the tech center as "an American icon of modern architecture," adding that the GM Technical Center's campus plan and International Style buildings influenced the development of corporate research parks nationwide.

Over the last few years, trades workers have been in and out of numerous buildings on the site performing renovations. Those Hardhats would be familiar with the old Cadillac Building, the Manufacturing A and B buildings, the old Engineering Building and the Powertrain Building.

"The work has been done under the National Maintenance Agreements, and we've been very happy with the NMA because it has helped us get the issues out on the table," Witt said. "The work has been done very well."

THE FIRST HIGH-RISE on the General Motors Technical Center will provide one million square feet to consolidate the automaker's engineering functions.

Todd McMann of Painters Local 42 applies drywall mud to a column in the nine-story building.