Crews are busy dumping gravel and pouring concrete to build the new corporate facility of the Nissan North America in Franklin which is about 20 miles south of downtown Nashville. Tall elevator towers and busy men at work would tell anyone that construction is in progress. The $100 million-worth 460,000-square-foot headquarters being built is to be called 'Nissan Americas,' reflecting the management of programs and facilities throughout North, Central and South America.

According to Nissan officials, the completion of the facility is set by mid 2008. The corporate facility will have a bend in the middle, and will resemble a gentle, "S" shape to represent how Nissan's products move people. Materials for the building include 3,400 tons of structural steel, 23,000 cubic yards of concrete and 575 tons of reinforcing steel. Over the course of the project, 113,000 cubic yards of earth will be moved in and around the 50-acre site.

The facility is engineered to hold more than 1,500 employees. Until the facility is ready, Nissan employees are working in the Bell South building in downtown Nashville. The building pad has been completed and two of its four elevator towers are finished. The drilled pier foundations for the office facility and adjacent garage have also been completed. Preparation of the site roads and installation of underground utilities have begun. The assembly of steel around the first tower began earlier. The facility will be ten stories tall, and measure 150 feet at its highest point.

Nissan Americas is given an underground level with two salons intended for special reviews of new models or prototype vehicles. The building has an adjacent parking garage that can accommodate 1,135 vehicles. The 10,000-square-foot employee fitness centre also is being constructed on the western side of the parking garage structure.

"The construction project is on schedule, and the footprint of the building is now visible," said Rob Traynham, the Nissan North America director of Security, Flight Operations and Facilities. "Nissan Americas will be a striking addition to the business landscape in Franklin, but, more importantly, it will be at the centre of value creation for all our operations."

The facility has been designed to provide a spacious and productive work environment for Nissan employees. Inside of the building are large, alternating atriums with open stairways that link main floors. Each floor's open environment will also include informal meeting areas, and video conferencing centers to hearten cross-functional collaboration among Nissan employees in North America or in other parts of the world. The facility is conducive to brainstorming about models and auto parts accessories that include the famed Nissan Exedy clutch kit.

The Skanska USA Building Inc. is the construction manager of the Nissan Americas project. Gresham, Smith and Partners is accountable for the design and engineering work for the facility.