The third station of the Ford Rouge Factory Tour – the Observation Deck Tour – gives visitors a big-picture look at the land and buildings that are now referred to as the Ford Rouge Center. Visitors take an elevator up to an 80-foot-high observation room that overlooks the complex with an exceptional view of the property clear to the Rouge River. It also provides a great look at the living roof atop the Dearborn Truck Plant. After seeing in Station One some of the historic photos of the site, it was definitely interesting to look out from the glass-walled deck to try to make some comparisons with the Rouge then to the view now.

In 2000, Ford Motor Company decided to reinvent –  instead of abandon– the Rouge. Since then, the complex’s Dearborn Truck Plant, which opened in 2004, has become a model for innovative environmentally sound manufacturing. (If you click here, you can read more about Ford Motor Company’s efforts of combining emerging technologies with timeless understandings. The company is cleaning storm water and renewing degraded soil using natural processes, bringing daylight and fresh air back into the factory, and much more.)

The assembly plant, home of the Ford F-150 truck, was designed with special care for the outside environment as well as for those working inside the plant. Just a few weeks prior to going on the tour, I had been clicking around on the The Henry Ford’s OnInnovation website with a few of my kids, and we came across some video about the development and design of the truck plant, its living roof and some of the other environmental innovations at the site as told by the sustainability architect for the site, William McDonough. It’s good stuff. (There’s a little more about OnInnovation below.)

The Observation Deck has many illustrated panels that explain some of the systems used in the construction of the living roof. There are touchable samples of the sedum – the plant grown on the roof – and the materials with which it is planted. We were fascinated to learn there is no soil. There is also a model that demonstrates the workings of the porous pavement used in two parking lots at the Rouge and how it aids in filtering pollutants and controlling water runoff.

The living roof is really quite awe inspiring. We learned that within just five days of its planting, birds started nesting. Since we visited in November, the sedum was auburn in color, but I look forward to returning in the late spring so we can see the environmentally green roof actually green in color. I’m hoping then we’ll also be able to take the outdoor Living Laboratory Walking Tour.

During our visit, there was also an exceptionally knowledgable docent who was chock full of all kinds of additional tidbits of information and details. The kids were captivated with the mere fact that there is an orchard, bee keeping and honey production on the property– especially after seeing some of the old photos of how depressed of vegetation and wildlife the industrial site had earlier been.

One of the most profound aspects of this station is the view and the ability to see the expansive complex, with its mixture of old and modern elements. It’s an excellent illustration of the storied history as well as the exciting future of the Rouge. I couldn’t help but try to envision the complex when there were more than 100,000 employees. Today the Ford Rouge Center consists of six factories. The truck plant has close to 6,000 workers and remains Ford Motor Company’s largest factory.

The OnInnovation site is full of all kinds of really interesting clips. Well worth a perusal if you’d like some insight into how some innovate folks think and work. There are video clips highlighting many contemporary innovators including Carroll Shelby, Steve Wosniak, Bill Gates, Bobby Unser, Martha Stewart and many more. There’s also some interesting stuff on historic innovators whose work is highlighted in the collections at The Henry Ford; this includes Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Buckminster Fuller and others. Along with being interesting, there are some nice educational tools for classrooms. I’ve actually used some of the materials as discussion points with my kids and am hoping to do more of that in the future.

Kristine Hass is a writer and a long-time member of The Henry Ford. She frequently blogs about her family’s visits to America’s Greatest History Attraction.