Product Development Center | Tradeline, Inc.

The plan evolves from a desire to enhance and maximize communication between all levels of staff within the facility. Vehicle build, research and development laboratories, vehicle testing, and support services are located on the ground level. Design, engineering, team areas, product display, and administrative functions are situated directly above, providing a contiguous relationship between product and process.

Harley strategically located this facility next to its engine assembly plant, reinforcing the concept of “concurrent engineering” and bridging any gaps between design, engineering, and manufacturing. The focal point of the building is a space called the “mock-up area,” placed within the curved roof structure canopy. Various styles and past model years of the product are positioned in this area, which is devoted to the study, evaluation, and evolution of product function and design. The focal structural element of the mock-up area is the column trunk and limbs that support the curved roof structure. Particular attention to basic construction elements was important for this open and dynamic space. Exposing bolted connections and splices in this area emphasized the industrial history of the organization.

The building plan can be manipulated to work for a variety of different team environments. Whether the team is a “platform,” focused on a model of a particular bike, or a “center of excellence,” focused on a particular part of the bike, all teams are arranged around a product. Space is designed so teams can be organized in different ways, each concentrated around the product, which can easily be wheeled into the mockup area or office environment.

The building was designed with sustainability in mind and was awarded a LEED™ (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Certification by the U.S. Green Building Council in 2003.

Project Information

Building Owner:

Harley-Davidson Motor Co.

Building Location:

Wauwatosa, WI UNITED STATES

Project Type:

New Construction

Principal Building Function:

Product research and development

Project Delivery Method:

Bid

Project Timeline

Nov 1993	Planning Start
Jan 1994	Design Start
Oct 1994	Construction Start
Sep 1995	Completion
Last known status: Completed

Construction Cost:

$24,900,000

Cost Per Sq. Ft:

$119

About These Cost Figures

Building Information

Project Includes:

Atrium
Auditorium
Conference Room
Headquarters
Office
Product Development

Total GSF:

210,000

Project Team

Architect

Flad Architects

Builder

Affiliated Construction Services

Engineer - MEP

Affiliated Engineers Inc. (AEI)

Profile Created 02/02/2007

Last Updated 02/23/2007

About the Reported Cost Figures

The cost figures reported are supplied by the firms that submitted these projects for publication, which in most cases are the designers or builders. Whereas these sources are intimately familiar with their projects, they may not be fully aware of the owners' finally-realized and recorded costs. In some cases, costs are truly and completely accounted for, and in others they represent a near approximation of the final costs. Costs have not been adjusted for year of construction, nor has any attempt been made to make regional cost adjustments.

Further, costs are not comparable on any kind of detailed standard costing model. Hence, it is possible for the cost of one building to include a steam boiler, while the cost of a comparable building might not include the boiler, if steam is being supplied from an already existing campus grid. Or, in another case, a building might include excess boiler capacity to supply steam to another building. Some submittals include fees or unusual site improvements as part of the construction costs, which others do not.

Fig. 1

Exterior

Fig. 2

Conference Room

Fig. 3

Warehouse