Palm trees and warm sand are a great way to get away from life and enjoy a vacation, but General Motors has found that those surroundings can make it difficult to expand a business operation. Following a $71 million investment, its North Hollywood, CA Advanced Design Center is moving to Pasadena, which will allow it to expand to a 149,000 square-foot campus. The automaker says the new facility will make room for expanded tech teams that will help progress its goals of zero crashes, zero emissions, and zero congestion.

Sitting on eight acres, the new campus puts GM closer to existing technology operations in the area and opens up the ability to work with nearby universities and design schools. GM says the move also shows that it is committed to maintain a physical presence in one of the largest hubs for design and innovation in North America.

The facility will support several of GM’s ventures, including one we talked about not that long ago. GM’s innovation and design teams have been hard at work on BrightDrop, the electric ecosystem of delivery and transit vehicles, as well as the lunar rover concept we outlined back in May.

The automaker says that the new facility has been designed with an eye on efficiency, and notes that its layout will reduce disruption across various paint, metal, and plastics workshops. The larger facility will also allow GM to roll out more concept and show cars, both physically and virtually.

General Motors’ existing North Hollywood Design Center will remain in operation as work is completed on the new building, which is expected to wrap up in late 2022