Ben Grobe

  • Ben Grobe SmithGroup Detroit Architecture
  • Ben Grobe Detroit Architecture

Ben thrives on creating “unprecedented solutions,” particularly those that can have a positive impact on the environment and the local community. “This industry constantly pushes the envelope with design possibilities, materials and energy efficiency,” he says. Ben points to the visitor center he worked on at the Edsel Ford home as a good example. “The Edsel Ford Visitor Experience is a modern interpretation of a historic site. It met the challenge of maintaining the site’s historic character, while adding a zero-energy building that brings the organization into the 21st-century.” Ben’s hidden talent is drawing and painting. “I love the precision of drawing real-life objects, people and scenes, and the creative expression of painting abstract art,” he says.