Dutch practice Mecanoo has created a new skyscraper design for the Hengli Group Headquarters in Shenzhen, China. In the city's dense urban context, the design will host the world's largest weaving enterprise in two volumes above a commercial plinth. Inspired by the Hengli Group’s textile tradition, a bronze metal grid wraps the transparent volumes like threads on a loom. As a Shenzhen Bay landmark, the project was designed to display the company’s culture and embrace new urban design strategies.
Hengli Group Headquarters features a 238m high tower, and its two volumes contract and expand to accommodate public space and vegetation on different levels. The commercial plinth is ‘carved out’ to create a sense of scale and increase permeability at ground level. The tower is mainly occupied by offices and three floors of cultural facilities. The building's bronze metal grid will be denser at the bottom and more compact on the commercial building. The mesh was designed to ground the volumes and marks the level height on the facade. A shopping mall with dedicated spaces for concerts and events takes up the 3rd and 4th floor while the 5th level houses a museum. The lower volume is dedicated to commerce, featuring retail areas, restaurants, cafes and an atrium for events.
As the team states, above the ground level plaza the two buildings extend towards each other and connect at the 5th and 6th level, providing shelter from the subtropical climate. On top of the 5th level is an outdoor space surrounded by stepped green terraces. This level celebrates the city’s outdoor lifestyle with a restaurant, shops and leisure areas overseeing the city. Above this floor, the tower steps back gradually with a series of green roofs and terraces, connecting the users to nature and offering panoramic views of Shenzhen Bay. Cascading down the facade, vegetation will purify the air and improve the indoor environment.
