Valeo Electrical Systems
San Luis Potosi, Mexico

Phase I 118,405 sf • Phase II 45,210 sf • Phase III 32,290 sf

Valeo’s technical facility in San Luis Potosi provides 171,000 sf for design, fabrication and testing of electric automobile motor parts. The company asked Davis Brody Bond for a building that reflected their leading-edge image and we responded with a dramatic and functional design that uses the strengths of the local construction industry to project high-tech sophistication within a conventional budget.

The building’s most striking aspect is the structural masts and tension cables projecting above the roof and to the sides. This system produces a 245-foot column free interior span, allowing for total flexibility in production line layout. Elegant custom-designed structural connections make the most of the high-quality, affordable metalwork and welding available in Mexico. The premium for the cable structure was more than offset by the 10% area reduction afforded by the unobstructed factory floor. Planning centered on three goals: ease of expansion, maximum flexibility, and interdepartmental communication. All of these are satisfied by the modular structure and building systems, and the openness they permit. The building is sited along a major highway, and its memorable silhouette gives Valeo a very public and positive presence in the region.

(Photography by Alejandro Castillo Orejel)