Paula Wethington is a digital producer at CBS Detroit. She previously held digital content roles at NEWSnet, Gannett/USA Today network and The Monroe News in Michigan. She is a graduate of the University of South Carolina.

Ford Motor Co. announced it will move its world headquarters to a new 2.1 million-square-foot facility on the historic site of its 1953 Product Development Center in Dearborn, Michigan.

The announcement was made Monday to employees and the media.

The new 2.1 million-square-foot building, to be named the Henry Ford II World Center, "will become our new world headquarters and a global symbol of where we are headed as a company," the company said. The site will include studios, garages, fabrication shops and conference rooms, while incorporating energy-efficient electric and water service technologies.

It will be more than twice the size of the current headquarters building, known as Glass House, which has been in use for about 70 years.

"The future of our industry demands a different kind of space -- one that is more connected, more flexible, and built for the speed of a technology- and software-driven company," the company said.

The new facility will place corporate leaders, design teams and engineering within a space designed to encourage collaboration. The facility includes a 160,000-square-foot dining hall and 12 acres of added greenspace. Upon completion, about 14,000 employees will be within a 15-minute walk of the new headquarters.

Construction has already started, and the majority of the work will be completed this year, the company said. The complex will be complete in 2027.

A grand opening celebration will include a dedication ceremony and tours.

After workers move out of the Glass House, it will be decommissioned and demolished over the next 18 months, with the site to be repurposed. "We are working with the City of Dearborn on a plan for how the site can best serve our employees and neighbors, and we will have more to share about those plans later," the company said.

Ford Motor Co. announces new world headquarters building at its Dearborn campus