Ford Motor has opened an€11.6m expansion of its Design Centre at Merkenich-Cologne,Germany,which features an open and fluid design to help promote idea exchange.

As part of the expansion,the company has also installed a powerwall which projects car and concept designs in three-dimensional(3D)and virtual environments,redesigned the existing studios,and introduced new milling machines that create precise clay models of new vehicles using computer-aided design.

Ford of Europe executive design director Martin Smith said that the Design Centre expansion will provide employees with a highly-motivational environment in which they are free to further develop the company's design philosophy.

The expanded Ford Design Centre accommodates the design and development team,which is responsible for the creation of small and compact models,like Fiesta and Focus.

The expansion has 3,000m2 that brings the total area of the Centre to 16,000m2.

"This powerwall will allow us to communicate in real time with our colleague around the world-so we can exchange design ideas,show progress and comment on the work in Australia,in North America and here in Europe,"Smith said.

Ford of Europe design supervisor for colour and material design Serife Celebi said in a design studio,you need plenty of space and natural light in order to view designs and concepts from different angles and distances.

"The new wing features a glass facade and open-plan interior designed to encourage people to interact more closely to help them gain a better understanding of the design and development process,"Celebi said.