Transcript Environmental Innovations at the Rouge

Previous Slide
Start Over
Next Slide
The 21st Century Ford Rouge Factory:
Environmental Innovations
Begin
Copyright 2004 The Henry Ford
1
Previous Slide
Start Over
Next Slide
In 1917, the site of today’s
Rouge Plant was marshland—a
thousand acres of cheap, barely
useable land.
Start of Rouge Plant Construction. Feb. 20, 1918. (Photo ID 833.21330)
Begin
Copyright 2004 The Henry Ford
2
Previous Slide
Start Over
Next Slide
Henry Ford’s vision of a
factory that could process
iron ore and other raw
materials and transform them
into complete automobiles
grew to be the largest factory
on earth, a distinction it held
for many years.
Aerial View of the Rouge, 1940s. (Photo ID 833.99210.54)
Copyright 2004 The Henry Ford
3
( 2 of 13 )
Previous Slide
Start Over
Next Slide
Over eighty years of use
transformed the once-bright
and spacious plant into a
darker and dirtier one. Over
the same period concerns
about pollutants and the use
of natural resources also
changed.
Aerial view of the Rouge, 1940s. (Photo ID XXX.XXXXX)
Copyright 2004 The Henry Ford
4
( 3 of 13 )
Previous Slide
Start Over
Next Slide
In 2000, the Ford Motor
Company decided to
transform the Rouge plant
into a facility that would be
both profitable and
environmentally friendly.
Aerial View of the Dearborn Truck Plant at the Rouge, 2005 .(Ford Motor Company)
Copyright 2004 The Henry Ford
5
( 4 of 13 )
Previous Slide
Start Over
Next Slide
The innovations used at
the Ford Rouge Center
involve managing water,
soil, daylight, and fresh
air.
Ford Rouge Center, 2004. (Ford Motor Company)
Copyright 2004 The Henry Ford
6
( 5 of 13 )
Previous Slide
Start Over
Next Slide
Managing Water
The 10.4 acre living
roof is perhaps the
Center’s most visible
innovation.
Dearborn Truck Plant living roof, 2004. (Ford Motor Company)
Copyright 2004 The Henry Ford
7
( 6 of 13 )
Previous Slide
Start Over
Next Slide
Managing Water
Sedum plants cut down the
expansion and contraction
caused by the sun, allowing the
roof to last twice as long as a
conventional metal or tar roof.
The plants also help to insulate
the interior from extremes of heat
and cold.
Birds eggs on the Dearborn Truck Plant living roof, 2004 (Ford Motor Company)
Copyright 2004 The Henry Ford
8
( 7 of 13 )
Previous Slide
Start Over
Next Slide
Managing Water
The sedum traps dust, consumes
greenhouse effect-causing
carbon dioxide, and reduces the
storm water run-off passing into
streams and rivers. The sedum
never needs mowing—its height
does not exceed six inches, and it
spreads sideways crowding-out
unwanted weeds.
Caption. (For d Motor Company)
Copyright 2004 The Henry Ford
9
( 8 of 13 )
Previous Slide
Start Over
Next Slide
Managing Water
No soil is used—the sedum is
planted in a four-layer mat:
* The top layer is made of shale,
sand, peat, compost, and dolomite.
* Next is a layer of fleece made
from re-cycled materials.
* Next is a porous drainage layer.
* Finally a membrane prevents
seepage into the building
Living roof four-layer mat for planting sedum. (Ford Motor Company)
Copyright 2004 The Henry Ford
10
( 9 of 13 )
Previous Slide
Start Over
Next Slide
Managing Water
Sudden flows of storm water can
wash dirt from paved surfaces into
streams, rivers, and lakes. Two of
the parking lots at the Ford Rouge
Center have an experimental porous
surface that allows water to pass into
buried stone basins. Storm water
that falls on the roof is absorbed or
filtered by the plants. Excess runoff
is channeled into the stone storage
basins beneath the parking lot.
Porous pavement at the Rouge, 2004. ( Ford Motor Company)
Copyright 2004 The Henry Ford
11
( 10 of 13 )
Previous Slide
Start Over
Next Slide
Managing Water
From the basins the water then
drains through a natural filtering
system made up of vegetated
ditches (also called swales),
newly-planted trees, and planted
wetlands: the roots of all these
plants help to filter the run-off
before it passes into rivers and
lakes.
View of Dearborn Truck Plant and Rouge Visitor Center, 2004. (Ford Motor
Company)
Copyright 2004 The Henry Ford
12
( 11 of 13 )
Previous Slide
Start Over
Next Slide
Managing Water
By developing wetlands, a small
part of the Rouge is being
returned to its original condition.
These new habitats attract water
fowl as well as other plants and
animals.
View of Rouge Visitor Center, 2005. (Ford Motor Company)
Copyright 2004 The Henry Ford
13
( 11 of 13 )
Previous Slide
Start Over
Next Slide
Managing Soil
Over the years, portions of the Rouge
complex became contaminated with
by-products from the ovens that used
to make materials for steel-making.
Ford is working with scientists from
Michigan State University and the
University of Michigan-Dearborn to
clean the site using a biological
process called phytoremediation.
Planting at the Rouge to clean soil, 2004. (Ford Motor Company)
Copyright 2004 The Henry Ford
14
( 12 of 13 )
Previous Slide
Start Over
Next Slide
Managing Soil
Phytoremediation uses plants to
break down contaminants into
harmless chemicals which are then
absorbed into the vegetation’s roots.
This solar-driven, environmentallybeneficial process will not only clean
and beautify the landscape but also
restore wildlife habitat.
More phytoremediation at the Rouge, 2004. (Ford Motor Company)
Copyright 2004 The Henry Ford
15
( 13 of 13 )
Previous Slide
Start Over
Next Slide
Managing Daylight and Air
The environment inside the
plant has also been
transformed. A one million
gallon thermal water storage
tank helps cool the building in
the summer. A ductless air
tempering system replaces the
air every 30 minutes.
Dearborn Truck Plant interior, 2004. (Ford Motor Company)
Copyright 2004 The Henry Ford
16
Previous Slide
Start Over
Next Slide
Managing Daylight and Air
The building’s structure
includes glass monitors with
an area of around 33,000
square feet—on a sunny day
this allows about half of the
electric lights to be turned off.
Dearborn Truck Plant living roof and light monitors, 2004. (Ford Motor Company)
Copyright 2004 The Henry Ford
17
Previous Slide
Start Over
Next Slide
Managing Daylight and Air
Energy-efficient glass reduces
glare and heat from the sun.
Using natural light also
improves color perception,
reduces eyestrain, and
improves mood.
Dearborn Truck Plant living roof and light monitors, 2005. (Ford Motor Company)
Copyright 2004 The Henry Ford
18