Mercedes-Benz Financial Services Headquarters

Overview

Opportunity

Solution

Impact

Team

Mercedes-Benz Financial Services’ Michigan headquarters draws on the region’s woods, lakes, and grasslands to create an amenity-rich workplace centered on well-being and connection.

Location

Farmington Hills, Michigan

Client

Mercedes-Benz Financial Services

Expertise

Office Developers Build to Suit & Headquarters Climate Action & Sustainability Consumer Goods Strategy

Opportunity

Mercedes-Benz Financial Services sought to create a destination workplace that could accommodate future growth, deepen employee connection, and respond to changing expectations for flexibility and well-being.

Mercedes-Benz Financial Services USA envisioned a headquarters that would do more than accommodate its growing workforce. The company sought an environment that expressed its brand, responded to evolving hybrid work patterns, and fostered stronger relationships across the organization. Set within a wooded site in Farmington Hills, the project offered an opportunity to make the surrounding landscape central to the workplace experience. The new headquarters needed to balance adaptability and long-term performance with inviting shared spaces that would support well-being, collaboration, and community.

Why This Matters

01
Workplace Evolution
The headquarters needed to accommodate changing work patterns while preserving the relationships, shared experiences, and sense of belonging that sustain the organization.
02
Everyday Well-being
aylight, outdoor access, active circulation, and restorative settings make healthier routines an integral part of the workday.
03
A Distinct Identity
The project translates Mercedes-Benz Financial Services’ global identity into an environment shaped by Michigan’s landscape and regional character.

Identifying the ideal local solution reflects our commitment to our talented team, while creating a space that strengthens our culture, inspires creativity, improves productivity, and helps us better serve our customers.

Solution

Inspired by land, sea, and air, the design brings varied work settings and shared destinations together within a campus shaped by its wooded surroundings.

The design draws from Michigan’s woods, lakes, and grasslands, translating the region’s varied landscapes through material, color, form, and spatial experience. Building orientation, preserved vegetation, and expansive glazing connect employees to the surrounding site. Inside, a full-service kitchen and dining hub support daily interaction, while the central connecting stair doubles as a town hall for company-wide gatherings. A dedicated conference center accommodates expanded learning and training, and office floors offer collaborative hubs, focused work areas, and informal meeting spaces organized around the geometry of the Mercedes-Benz three-pointed star.

From brief to build: how an integrated team delivered a distinctive, branded headquarters on time and under budget during the COVID-19 pandemic.

An integrated team of designers and consultants coordinated closely throughout planning, design, and construction to deliver a headquarters tailored to Mercedes-Benz Financial Services’ brand and operational needs. Sustainability, wellness, employee experience, and regional identity informed decisions at every scale, from site planning and building systems to circulation, materials, and workplace settings. Despite the challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic, this highly collaborative approach kept the project on schedule and under budget while maintaining its design vision and performance goals.

Regional Identity Strategy

Site planning coordinated access, landscape, branding, and preservation to reinforce regional character and long-term flexibility.

Impact

The headquarters gives employees greater choice throughout the day while providing inviting reasons to gather, recharge, and spend time on campus.

Employees can shift easily between individual tasks, teamwork, social activity, and quiet respite, supporting a more dynamic and engaging rhythm throughout the workday.

What Changed Because of This

01
Healthy Choices
Walking paths, daylight, outdoor gathering areas, and fitness resources make healthier routines more accessible throughout the day.
02
Opportunities for Connection
Central gathering places create more opportunities for colleagues to build relationships, exchange ideas, and participate in the life of the organization.
03
Flexible Work
Adaptable settings support different tasks and preferences, allowing people to select the environment best suited to the work at hand.

We wanted the headquarters to feel unmistakably Mercedes-Benzes — precise and considered, yet warm, welcoming, and grounded in the character of its Michigan setting.

Recognition

01

SBN Detroit

SBN Detroit featured Gensler’s John Waller discussing sustainable architecture, highlighting adaptive reuse and Mercedes-Benz Financial Services’ headquarters as models for low-carbon urban revitalization.

02

Detroit free Press

Detroit Free Press reported on the planned Mercedes-Benzes financial services headquarters in Farmington Hills, highlighting Gensler’s role designing the new workplace for the global automotive brand.

Team

Project Leadership

[FPO] Chris Beck

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Lily Diego

Lily is an award-winning Creative Director and Building Transformation & Adaptive Reuse Leader for Gensler’s North Central Region. With more than 25 years of experience, she specializes in creating compelling design narratives and transformative environments that align evolving user needs with business and community goals.

[FPO] Ryan Depersia

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Geoffrey Diamond

Geoffrey is a Principal and Design Director in Gensler's New York office, known for turning complex problems into clear, compelling ideas, then finding the simplest possible way to make them real.

FAQ

01

How can a workplace support both culture and flexibility?

A range of adaptable settings gives people greater autonomy while strategically placed gathering areas encourage interaction across teams.

02

Why was nature central to the design strategy?

The design is grounded in Michigan’s regional identity, drawing from its woods, lakes, and grasslands rather than the adjacent wooded site alone. These elements informed the architecture, interiors, materials, and employee experience while supporting the project’s LEED goals and broader emphasis on well-being.

03

How does the headquarters reflect the Mercedes-Benz brand?

The planning interprets the iconic three-pointed star while combining engineering precision, premium materials, and an elevated yet welcoming atmosphere.

04

What amenities support the employee experience?

The headquarters includes a full-service kitchen and dining hub, fitness center, central stair and town hall, conference and training center, coffee shop, courtyards, collaborative hubs, and walking paths.

05

How does the project support employee wellness?

The LEED-certified interiors support employee well-being through enhanced indoor air quality, materials aligned with the Gensler Product Sustainability Standards, access to daylight and natural elements, and dedicated wellness program spaces throughout the headquarters.

06

What can other organizations learn from this project?

A successful headquarters can draw equal strength from an organization’s identity, its people’s needs, and the qualities already present within its site.

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Related Expertise

Office Developers Build to Suit & Headquarters Climate Action & Sustainability Consumer Goods Strategy

Mercedes-Benz Financial Services’ Michigan headquarters draws on the region’s woods, lakes, and grasslands to create an amenity-rich workplace centered on well-being and connection.

Mercedes-Benz Financial Services sought to create a destination workplace that could accommodate future growth, deepen employee connection, and respond to changing expectations for flexibility and well-being.

Why This Matters

Inspired by land, sea, and air, the design brings varied work settings and shared destinations together within a campus shaped by its wooded surroundings.

From brief to build: how an integrated team delivered a distinctive, branded headquarters on time and under budget during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The headquarters gives employees greater choice throughout the day while providing inviting reasons to gather, recharge, and spend time on campus.

What Changed Because of This