Architecture firm HENN has broken ground on the new Zoomlion Headquarters. The building is envisioned as the central feature of the Smart Industry City, an industrial park in the High-tech Zone of Changsha City, Hunan Province, China. HENN has envisioned the construction machinery manufacturer’s headquarters as a gathering place that will concentrate most of the social activities happening on the site. The building will house office spaces, a museum dedicated to the company’s history, a canteen, a data center, training and research areas, and sports facilities.
The project’s design is optimized for the client’s particular production needs while also offering a sensible response to its rural context. The angular shape of the main building lifts off the ground. The twelve-meter cantilever dissimulates the large volume of the building, making the surrounding parks and plazas appear to enter seamlessly into the interior spaces. More contrast is added through the chosen materiality, with the base mainly being opaque, finished in white concrete, and the elevated volume being characterized by its sizeable transparent floor-to-ceiling glass façade.
The irregularly sloped site, typical for the densely wooded Changsha green corridor, is turned into an advantage. The landscape proposal accentuates the main entrance by employing mirror pools, walkable green slopes, and staircases. Two elevated paths bypass the motorway crossing the valley, thus connecting the north and south sides of the extensive site, measuring over 300,000 square meters.
The interior spaces are spacious and brightly lit. The large atrium represents the main gathering space for employees and visitors alike. It also doubles as an exhibition space, showcasing the company’s history and innovations in construction engineering. Given the large footprint of the building and the intention to introduce natural light in its center, the architects proposed a coffered ceiling punctuated by skylights above the atrium. An intensive solar analysis informs its shape, and it references the angular geometry of the building.
We designed the Zoomlion Headquarters as an immense, cut stone floating above its natural surroundings. Inside the building, the light-flooded, Z-shaped atrium offers a generous and multifunctional community space for the company and its teams. - Hua Qiao, Zoomlion Project Leader
Representatives of the Hunan Province and Changsha City, the Zoomlion CEO, and senior team members attended the groundbreaking ceremony. The project is scheduled for completion in 2023. HENN’s recent projects include Zalando Headquarters in Berlin, Westlake University in Hangzhou, and Westlake University in Hangzhou, China.
