Büro Ole Scheeren’s latest project, Scenic City Towers, is currently under construction in the Shenzhen Bay Super Headquarters Base in China. This design for JD.com's new offices seeks to emphasize “in-between” spaces that blend the social fabric of urban life with nature, proposing a new model for working. Situated in Shenzhen’s Nanshan district, a booming business and financial area, the headquarters will join a community of global corporations around it.
The Scenic City scheme spans 2 million square feet and includes office, hotel, retail, and cultural spaces across two towers and an adjacent “urban spine.” The JD Hub, atop the urban spine, is a venue with cultural and exhibition space open to the public. The scheme integrates strategically placed public and accessible spaces to merge with its surroundings and encourage urban activity.
Büro Ole Scheeren, renowned for its CCTV Headquarters in Beijing, was selected for this project through an international competition. As China’s leading e-commerce company, JD.com is establishing its headquarters in Shenzhen’s up-and-coming tech hub. Standing 200 meters tall, the scheme is expected to be completed by the end of 2027.
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Büro Ole Scheeren Wins Competition to Design New Swirling Headquarters for Tencent in ShenzhenThe Scenic City project comprises individual blocks that seek to harmonize with the contextual urban scales while their organic forms reflect the nearby mountainous landscape. Drawing inspiration from the local vernacular, the design incorporates traditional Lingnan features like arcades, balconies, and terraces to enhance the quality of life. The open, “in-between” spaces create a social spine through the buildings, utilizing intelligent passive design with greenery and natural ventilation. This results in a partially open and interconnected campus, allowing urban life and nature to flow in and out of it with ease.
The tower facades of Scenic City resemble waterfalls, paying subtle homage to Lingnan's natural setting. In addition to providing ventilation, vertical louvers mimic streams of water by varying the brightness and transparency of the glass. These details create a distinct character for the headquarters within the urban setting and make references to the picturesque surroundings.
On the other hand, the urban spine’s JD Hub has a facade that mimics an abstracted mountain landscape, emphasizing public space and continuing the project’s dialogue with nature. Through a series of facade openings that display both inner and outside areas, the proposal integrates nature vertically throughout the buildings. Every floor has a green terrace where employees are encouraged to relax and socialize.
Through the integration of city, environment, people, and architecture into a cohesive urban ecosystem, the project seeks to establish a contemporary, sustainable urban project. The waterfall-like facades at the lower floors encourage public interaction by increasing transparency. JD World’s podium levels provide dynamic street aspects, fusing cultural, exhibition, and corporate spaces into an interactive ecosystem that is anchored by a “central park.” Additionally, bridged walkways that link the JD Hub to the towers and surrounding developments enhance connectivity within the master plan. Ultimately, the design highlights “in-between” spaces and integrates nature in urban planning to create interesting dynamics with the program, nature, and the city.
In other similar news, BIG has won a proposal to design a 300 meter tall residential tower and a 250 meter tall office tower for the Guiwan district, located in the international finance city of China. Similarly, MVRDV has revealed a large-scale residential complex to take place in the new smart city campus by technology company Tencent in Qianhai Bay, Shenzhen. Finally, Büro Ole Scheeren has won the international competition to design Tencent’s new global headquarters in Shenzhen, China.
