Büro Ole Scheeren has shared images and project details of their underway mixed-used Scenic City design at the Shenzhen Bay Super Headquarters Base in China. 

As the new HQ for e-commerce giant JD.com, the project will feature prominently in Shenzhen’s Nanshan District when it is completed by the end of 2027. Scenic City will be realized at two million square feet after construction began in early 2022.

Reaching a maximum height of 200 meters (656.1 feet), the program comprises two towers for offices, hotel, retail, public facilities, and cultural uses connected via a podium and adjacent landscaped "urban spine." 

Each tower’s facade features both vertical and horizontal voided openings that allow for the inclusion of open-air terraces meant to accommodate the region’s humid climate. This breaks apart their volumes while suggesting a contemporary ziggurat climbing vertically from the podium base to the roofline. A subtler waterfall reference is provided by louvering the glass curtain wall to modulate the reflectivity and transparency while providing ventilation throughout the structure.

The urban spine component includes JD Hub, a 150-seat theater and exhibition venue equipped to host international events.

Founder Ole Scheeren describes his firm’s work: "Scenic City's design incorporates some of the qualities of local vernacular architecture, building on Lingnan's traditional arcade, balcony and terrace features that enhance comfort and quality of life."

"A trajectory of open, in-between spaces meanders through the buildings and creates the social spine of the headquarters. Enhanced through intelligent passive design with plantings and natural ventilation, these three-dimensional scenic spaces are shielded against the region’s harsh sun and heavy rainfall. The result is a campus that is both open and interconnected, allowing city life and nature to flow in and out. In this way, the building becomes a vital connector within the city’s wider urban fabric."

It follows the firm's recent completion of The Axiom high-rise in Shanghai and will be joined by their design for the new Tencent global headquarters (also in Shenzhen) that was won via an international competition last December. 

Revisit Archinect's conversation with Ole Scheeren about his work in China and other topics related to his life and architecture here.