Dream Factory

Thomas Grose
ASEE Prism

Dec 31, 2008 19:00 EST

A recession and credit crisis are shutting down U.S. automobile plants, but Ferrari remains confident it can still find 6,000 people a year willing to shell out $200,000 for one of its iconic sports cars. So it's continuing to turn its factory complex in Maranello, Italy, into something the New York Times calls a "museum of architecture."The wind tunnel was designed by Renzo Piano, whose previous works include the Pompidou center in Paris. The assembly hall is by Jean Nouvel, winner of the prestigious 2008 Pritzker Prize.The structures aspire not just to be works of art - to which Ferraris themselves are sometimes compared - but to boost efficiency. According to the Times, they save energy by using solar cells and trigeneration systems, which produce electricity, heat, and cooling simultaneously from a single energy source, like a gas burner. They also feature indoor gardens, where workers can meet or rest between shifts. -TG

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Source: ASEE Prism