The International Design Competition for Alibaba’s Central China Headquarters selected the proposal presented by Benoy as the winning scheme. The architectural firm will work with Alibaba and the local community to build a future-proof urban space and promote the development of the tech industry in Wuhan, China.
Benoy’s fourth collaboration with Alibaba, the Central China headquarters, and the industrial complex is expected for completion in 2026. Aiming to implement Alibaba’s concept of building a hybrid digital ecosystem, as well as enhancing the company’s presence in the central region of China, the intervention covers a total area of 44,654 square meters. Located in the Xudong business district, the design will generate two eco office towers which are 280 meters and 190 meters in height respectively, with a total GFA of 210,000 square meters, and a new retail commercial hub, covering an area of 90,000 square meters.
On the design process, Qin Pang, Benoy Director, Head of Shanghai Studio explains that “we realized early on that closely collaborating with Alibaba, whose ecological chain is increasingly maturing, is an opportunity to break the homogenization of integrated development projects in the city. We sought solutions to respond to the harsh conditions of the building foundation, combining the closely-linked operational supply chains of Alibaba by utilizing big data instead of merely experience to tailor to the future needs of stakeholders.”
Featuring the Group’s enhanced operational model, introducing a new business ecology for core enterprises, and innovative business models for retail, Alibaba’s Central China Headquarters, and Industrial Complex takes on traditional commercial land use with new functionalities. In fact, Benoy created the AliCampus concept, an intelligent, unique urban vision for the city, after in-depth research of Alibaba’s corporate culture and the interaction between offices and businesses.
The project introduces new creative areas such as Challenge Avenue, Ideation Space, Resilience Space, and Healing Corner “for the younger demographic, and to inject new energy into the city which traditionally employed vague demarcations in town planning”. Applying the concept of a Kongming lock, a traditional Chinese wooden puzzle, into the structure, Benoy interconnected these units, combining specific urban conditions and new business requirements.
- Scope of Services: Masterplanning, architectural design
- Category: Mixed-use, office, retail, leisure
- Customer: Alibaba Group
- Total GFA: About 300,000 square meters
- The project chief designer: Qin Pang
- Project leader: Wei Tang, Xianbin Ni
- Main design team: Chengsheng Jiang, Chong Yu, Jianying Liu, Shu Xia, Jiacheng Ying, Xing Liang, Yiting Zhou, Xiaoli Zhou
