With its 70-year-old Glass House headquarters becoming outmoded and fading into history, Ford Motor Co. asked itself, “Where do we grow from here?” The automaker is answering that question in part by converting the former Product Development Center in its hometown of Dearborn, Michigan, into its new World Headquarters South. Construction started in April. Scheduled for completion in 2029, the expanded and renovated World Headquarters complex will accommodate 10,000 to 11,000 employees in total. The main new World Headquarters building opened in November 2025. At 3.3 million square feet, the combined new complex will cover twice the area of Glass House, formally known as the Henry Ford II World Center, Ford says. In addition to providing modern workspace for 5,000 employees, the World Headquarters South building will house space for labs, testing and prototyping, and will also will become the new home of Ford Racing. Relocating the racing operation closer to the broader business promotes the transfer of learnings from the track into road car development, Ford says. The overall World Headquarters project is part of Ford’s overall effort to enhance efficiency and collaboration with product development, and create a more cohesive working environment, the automaker says. “As we deliver the Ford+ (growth strategy) plan, our teams must collaborate more closely than ever,” Jim Farley, Ford president and CEO, said in a statement. “This includes connecting the Ford Racing teams who innovate on the track with their colleagues across the business, and help bring those advances to our customers' vehicles. “And to power the best team in the industry, we're providing modern, tech-forward workplaces, plus world-class amenities.” At World Headquarters South, those amenities will include cafés, markets, wellness rooms, reflection rooms, mothers’ rooms and a 30,000-square-foot fitness center featuring strength training and cardio equipment and locker room, according to Ford.