Benoy Releases Images of New Waterfront Development in Wenzhou, China

Written by Niall Patrick Walsh
Published on June 21, 2018

Benoy has released images of their competition-winning design for a waterfront development in Wenzhou, China. INCITY MEGA will form part of the Central Green Axis masterplan, a dramatic landscaped district cutting through the urban fabric of Wenzhou.

The 2.6 million square foot (250,000 square meter) INCITY MEGA scheme will occupy two of the eight plots on the Central Green Axis, with a mixed-use program including retail, movie theaters, plazas, and gyms. The scheme is in response to a rapidly-growing consumer population in Wenzhou and will join the ranks of previous schemes in the region by Hammer Schmidt Lassen, UNStudio, and HENN.

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The INCITY MEGA scheme is comprised of two plots, one containing the “INCITY MEGA Mall” with the other featuring a long, narrow waterfront boutique district. Together, the plots combine to create a “three-dimensional urban space” which integrates commercial and public realms.

We saw the opportunity for both plots to become an extension of the Green Axis Park for Wenzhou. With the unique benefit of being on the waterfront, we wanted to open up the spaces and make the most of this environment alongside the commercial offerings of the development.
-Qin Pang, Director, and Head of Shanghai Studio, Benoy

The Mall component features an inner courtyard created by pushing the structure outwards towards the plot boundaries. This courtyard forms the heart of the complex, flanked by open-air platforms on the levels above, while on the waterfront edge, a large promenade offers multiple landscaped viewing decks.

Seamlessly connected to the Mall district is the waterfront boutique plot, with a commercial-led mixed-use program. The lower levels will contain a network of retail, dining, and leisure attractions while three glass structures will house commercial office space above.

Large block structures interwoven throughout the development offer anchor space for tenants, while large-scale venues such as movie theaters, outdoor plazas, an ice rink, gym, and swimming pool offer attractions throughout the year, irrespective of climate.

What visitors will notice across the entire development is the connectivity to the waterfront and outdoors – not just on the ground floor, but as they rise through the development. The network of platforms, outdoor walkways, open-air bazaars and landscaped decks help create a unique environment which blends the water and landscape with the retail mall and commercial business space to create a truly first-of-its-kind destination in Wenzhou.
-Qin Pang, Director, and Head of Shanghai Studio, Benoy