The facility, a sister studio to Nissan Design America, Inc. in San Diego, represents a tripling in size over the previous studio space--to 50,912 sf. Unique to the facility is "the Egg," a 15,000-sf outdoor viewing courtyard.

Once a small studio of 12 designers with a focus on final production design, the new studio has grown to more than 30 full-time employees, with capabilities to accommodate a team of 45, under Keisuke Otsuki, new director of design.

"NDA's role has been more than a concept studio. The main diet of work is production cars and trucks," says Bruce Campbell, vice president of design. "The Farmington Hills studio is a natural extension of this mission. The close proximity of the major suppliers and Nissan's North American engineering and manufacturing facilities is important to conceive and execute industry-leading design."

Nissan's global design growth plans also include an expansion of the San Diego studio, a new studio in central London and new facilities under construction in Japan.

The Egg, a 15,000-sf outdoor viewing courtyard, embodies the meshing of engineering and design. Positioned to face due north for optimal light, the Egg allows designers to view their work in natural daylight, with the help of two turntables. Its striking and unique oval design, surrounded by cantilevered walls wrapped in a double layer of stainless steel mesh, was engineered by A. Zahner Co., a Kansas City-based architectural metals firm.

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