Shenzhen, China

Envisioned as an urban ecosystem that merges architecture with nature, Scenic City by Ole Scheeren presents the possibilities and qualities of nature and the spaces in-between.

JD.com’s new headquarters will be a prominent feature in Shenzhen’s Nanshan District, a flourishing business and financial hub serving the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area.

The project, named “Scenic City,” will join a vibrant community of global corporations including ZTE, CITIC and OPPO.

The design consists of 2 million sq.ft of office, hotel, retail and cultural spaces across two towers and an adjacent “urban spine.”

Sitting on top of the urban spine is JD Hub, a cultural venue housing a theatre and exhibition space open to the public.

Beneath the towers, the shared podium of JD World will host a variety of cultural events.

With its mixed-use offer and strategic positioning of accessible spaces, the campus is designed to integrate with its surroundings and stimulate activity with its urban context.

Ole Scheeren was selected following a competitive international bidding process. Recognised as China’s largest well known e-commerce company in terms of revenue, JD.com will establish a headquarters in Shenzhen’s rapidly growing tech hub.

Reaching nearly 200m in height, Scenic City is composed of individual blocks that relate to the varying urban scales surrounding it while their organic forms echo the natural contours of the nearby mountainous landscape.

“Scenic City’s design incorporates some of the qualities of local vernacular architecture, building on Lingnan’s traditional arcade, balcony and terrace features that enhance comfort and quality of life,”explains Ole Scheeren.

“A trajectory of open, in-between spaces meanders through the buildings and creates the social spine of the headquarters. Enhanced through intelligent passive design with plantings and natural ventilation, these three-dimensional scenic spaces are shielded against the region’s harsh sun and heavy rainfall.”

“The result is a campus that is both open and interconnected, allowing city life and nature to flow in and out. In this way, the building becomes a vital connector within the city’s wider urban fabric.”

The façades of Scenic City’s towers bear a subtle resemblance to waterfalls, a prominent feature of Lingnan’s natural landscape.

Vertical louvers provide ventilation and modulate the glass’s reflectivity and transparency, whilst visually evoking the image of water streams.

The façade detailing offers visual cues to the scenic landscape but also creates a distinct identity for the headquarters within the cityscape, breathing life and energy into the urban fabric.

Along the urban spine, JD Hub’s facade mirrors an abstracted mountain scenery to continue the project’s dialogue with scenic nature and visually highlight the public space it adorns. The cultural hub consists of a 150-seat theatre and exhibition venue equipped to host international events.

The project’s connection to nature is continued by weaving lush greenery vertically throughout the towers. The facades open at certain intervals to provide glimpses of the building’s interior and exterior spaces.

These moments of vertical landscape are complemented by green terraces placed throughout the towers, offering staff access to spaces for relaxation and encouraging social interaction on every floor.

The concept of “in-between spaces” is deeply rooted in the oriental concept of nature, bringing focus to the moments that occur not only within the built volumes, but also around and amongst them.

“The ‘in-between spaces’ are sometimes more important than the physical structures. The life of the city is not just encapsulated in its enclosed fabric, but much of its urban and social adventure happens in the in-between, ” states the architect.

“The Scenic City embodies this idea of leaving things open, undefined, to provide a stage for public and social life both within the towers as well as the external urban environment,” he remarks.

Scenic City pursues a holistic approach to a sustainable model of urbanity, integrating city, environment, community and architecture to create a synergistic urban ecosystem.

Towards the lower levels, the waterfall-like facades dissipate, increasing permeability and transparency on the street level to invite the public to engage with the building.

On the podium levels, JD World offers active street frontage, fusing cultural, exhibition and corporate spaces into an interactive ecosystem.

This is anchored by a “central park” that extends from the ground to the roof of the podium, creating a continuous public green promenade.

The urban spine and corresponding JD Hub are linked to the towers and surrounding developments by bridged walkways, enhancing connectivity within the overall Super Headquarters Base master plan.

Construction on the project commenced in early 2022 and is slated for completion by the end of 2027.

Project: Scenic City
Architects: Büro Ole Scheeren
Lead Architect: Ole Scheeren
Project Leaders: Hao Wang and Jonathan Kan
Deasign Team: Yuan Cui, Suhong Dong, Jinkun Huang, Di Kong, Jiarui Li, Tianren Li, Bin Liu, Yanling Shi, Zekun Song, Jack Tsai, Grace Wang, Xingnan Wang, Zhen Wei, Yiwen Xing, Hualin Yang, Danfeng Zou, with Xindi Ai, Zheng Cao, Zhang Jiang, Cori Jou, Mingyuan Li, Yingzhou Li, Yufeng Lin, Wenlong Liu, Yachen Liu, Haoran Ma, Zijian Mao, Yuchen Qiu, Ruoyu Wang, Yiqu Zhang, Bruno Zhao, and Shengxiao Zhao
Client: JD.com
Photographs: Courtesy of the Architects