Michigan Central
Case Study
Transforming a Historic Building into a Modern Space: Connecting Michigan Central
Michigan Central
Location: Detroit, Michigan
Size: 1.2 Million Square Feet
Market: Commercial, Enterprise
SERVICES PROVIDED:
Background
Starting in 2018, Ford Motor Company restored Detroit’s 108-year-old Michigan Central Train Station to become a new hub for mobility and innovation. Now called Michigan Central District, it includes commercial real estate, work spaces, labs, and testing environments. KLA has worked in tandem with Ford to restore the building’s turnkey network.
The Solution(s)
The KLA team provides the project management, network services, LAN planning, and engineering lead for Michigan Central District’s network. The engineering design of the network allows for flexibility in building occupancy growth, district growth, and technology advancements. The technology platform architecture was designed to support and drive innovation. The network is a fabric-defined network using Cisco Catalyst Center and ISE, and includes Cisco access points and Cisco MDF hardware, switches, outdoor switch hardware, and licenses. KLA also has a dedicated resource that sits at the district to support workers and guests with their technology needs- including network connectivity, printing, and renting technology assets.
In addition to the network, KLA installed and maintains conferencing technology in multiple spaces throughout Michigan Central District, including conference rooms and common areas, with Logitech Rally Conferencing technology. KLA also designed and implemented AV systems throughout public spaces in Michigan Central Station, the centerpiece of the district’s 30-acre innovation hub and home to large tenants and a historic public destination. This included discreet landscape integrated audio.
KLA’s Audio Visual Productions group has produced over 120 live events at Michigan Central District since the opening of Newlab, Michigan Central’s hub of innovation and home of prototyping labs and workspaces for entrepreneurs, investors, and companies focused on solutions in mobility. Including , events surrounding the grand opening of Michigan Central Station in June 2024.