McDonough's biggest regret about the project was that the truck plant's employee cafeteria could not be placed on the green roof as originally planned.
We wanted "the cafeteria to be up on the roof so that people could go up there during the middle of the day or during a break and be able to see the sun and get out for lunch before getting back to work. But again, the scale of the factory came to haunt us. Literally, the lunch breaks are of such a duration and the workers want to get out, is that by time they get to the cafeteria, they want to eat and go. Just getting them all the way to the top took more time and logistics than they have to get up there. It was another four minutes plus escalators. It wasn't fast enough for people to come from the far ends of the plant, eat and get back," the architect said.
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| "We're bringing in the new technology, and we're bringing in the new factory, and we're bringing in a new way of doing business." (Photo: Ford Motor Company) |
A future plant with a green roof might need "satellite systems," such as two cafeterias or some other way to bring people closer to the outdoors, he noted.
"The great thing was that Bill Ford opened the door to this kind of thinking," McDonough said. "We are going to transform the making of things--me and my colleagues... The Rouge is a perfect place to explore these kinds of issues and Bill Ford recognized that it is time for a new century of manufacturing thinking."
But, beyond the buildings and the dazzling environmental story, is the people transformation, said Profit. There are many workers at the Rouge whose family members had also worked there and the renovations also have to occur with a transformation of the workforce.
"The people here are enthusiastic," he said. "Moving forward is also about using the peoples' minds and their hands more than we have in the past. We have a way to go on that as well.
"We're bringing in the new technology, and we're bringing in the new factory, and we're bringing in a new way of doing business. And we're bringing in the environmental transformation. It's not just a physical change; it's a respect for nature; it's a respect for the earth. It's things that will not change overnight. So, it's not just a come in and put sedum on the roof, it's a complete transformation. It's a growing process."