From 15 participants, three winners have been selected to collaborate in the design of a new 5.5 million m2 district that will become the new center of Shenzhen, a polycentric megacity of 20 million people. Henning Larsen is the only foreign team among the winners.
Today, Shenzhen and its Greater Bay Area have become the world’s largest bay economy. Against this backdrop, the Shenzhen Bay Super Headquarters Base is poised to become a landmark architectural cluster driving its development. The Shenzhen Bay area, which includes coastal regions of other major cities such as Guangzhou, Hong Kong, and Macao, is home to a population of 70 million. Shenzhen, often referred to as China’s Silicon Valley, is home to a multitude of innovative tech giants like Tencent, Huawei, and ZTE.
To strengthen Shenzhen’s core position in the Greater Bay Area and solidify its status as China’s leading hub of creativity, the architecture firm Henning Larsen has developed a promising master plan. This plan redefines the paradigm of urban planning in China and sets new standards for the future of green, sustainable, and livable cities in the country.
▼ masterplan of the Shenzhen Bay Headquarters City
Shenzhen Bay Headquarters City is poised to become the lightning rod for development in Shenzhen and the Greater Bay Area, the largest bay economy in the world. The area boasts a population of 70 Million people and includes other metropolises such as Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Macau. Often called China’s Silicon Valley, Shenzhen is home to a cohort of innovative tech giants such as Tencent, Huawei and ZTE.
To establish Shenzhen as the Heart of The Greater Bay Area and cement its position as the leading innovation center of China, Henning Larsen envisioned an ambitious masterplan that shifts paradigms of Chinese urban planning and sets the standard for the green, sustainable and livable city of the Future China.
▼ overview of the Shenzhen Bay Headquarters City
Making Shenzhen a Waterfront city
The existing business districts of Shenzhen were developed kilometers away from the seafront. The location of Shenzhen Bay Headquarters City offers a unique opportunity to repair a historic missed link between city and sea.
“Our design aims to make Shenzhen the waterfront city it should always have been,” says Claude Godefroy, Partner and Design Director of Henning Larsen’s Hong Kong office. “To create an attractive waterfront we brought commercial and cultural facilities meters away from the seashore, so citizens will finally be able to enjoy the atmosphere of Shenzhen Bay in an activated urban environment, like in Sydney, Singapore or Copenhagen.”
▼ exterior view of the Shenzhen Bay Headquarters City that is a waterfront city
A Pedestrian City Centre
Chinese planning authorities have prioritized vehicular traffic for decades, resulting in poor conditions for pedestrians in many Chinese cities, Shenzhen in particular. Henning Larsen’s design aims to create a pedestrian urban realm; cars are relegated to an extensive underground network of highways, roads and parking. “Most of the commuters’ cars will never surface in the district. This will change everything for the quality of the pedestrian experience and will be quite unique in China,” Godefroy adds.
▼ exterior view of the Shenzhen Bay Headquarters City with the ground being left to pedestrians
The core of Henning Larsen’s architectural design lies in prioritizing the pedestrian experience. It is gratifying to note that this philosophy has been thoroughly implemented in this master plan, creating a comprehensive pedestrian-oriented space. For instance, all underground spaces in the area are interconnected through a retail-lined vaulted gallery system and several sunken plazas, eliminating the need for large-scale above-ground shopping centers. “Shopping centers are like black holes in the urban fabric, sucking all the vitality out of public spaces. We aim to recalibrate the role of commercial activities in urban life by introducing more civic and cultural activities into the urban space.
▼ the gif of the exterior experience in the Shenzhen Bay Headquarters City that is a pedestrian city center
In lieu of the massive shopping malls traditionally sitting beneath the tall buildings, Henning Larsen proposes a porous urban fabric composed of smaller buildings sitting in between the towers. At eye level, this urban typology offers a human scale with narrow alleys and small piazzas.
▼ partial view of the Shenzhen Bay Headquarters City, smaller buildings sitting in between the towers compose a porous urban fabric
A Cooler Part of Town
The porous urban fabric also allows effective urban ventilation by making use of the sea breeze, which can contribute to cool the district significantly in the punishing heatwaves of the summer. Other measures to cool the district include 10,000 trees, roof gardens and whitewashed streets.
▼ viewing the central green park from the forest city, trees and roof gardens can adjust the microclimate of the realm
“The success of this district depends largely on our capacity to reduce the heat in the public realm, especially when considering climate change,” Godefroy explains. “We know by experience that our initiatives can reduce the heat within the district by 5-8 degrees compared to the surrounding city. The added comfort level will encourage citizens to use the public realm.”
▼ viewing the sea from the central green park with a broadened view
Attracting the Talents of Tomorrow
As the millennial generation reaches the age of independence, these young urban dwellers seek to take ownership of their homes and neighborhoods. Henning Larsen researched these aspirations and took steps to update the design of the public realm and create city that is relevant to the needs of future generations. These initiatives became additional “Cities” that were added to the masterplan: Nature City, Shared City, Smart City, Knowledge City, Art City and Leisure City.
▼ bird-eye’s view of the central green garden of the Shenzhen Bay Headquarters City
An Art City
The initiatives of “Art City” aim to create a cohesive cultural experience throughout the masterplan. Each plot already needs to build 5-8% of their area as cultural program by law, but coordination is necessary to ensure complementarity of the different galleries and venues. In the public realm, art will be displayed in the streetscapes by themes (as in a museum) and large-scale art installations will attract attention from afar. The seafront will house larger cultural venues for performing arts and exhibitions. Furthermore, an ambitious plan to impose public and cultural venues at the pinnacle of the tallest towers will create “the Skyline of Art” and define the overall image of the entire district.
▼ the lane view of the central green garden in the Shenzhen Bay Headquarters City
A Forest City
The architects plan to plant 10,000 trees within the area, which will not only provide shade for public spaces and lower ambient temperatures but, more importantly, will also help reduce air and noise pollution. Together with the above-ground ecological wetlands, these trees will create a forest-like habitat for birds and insects.
▼ gif of the night view of the Shenzhen Bay Headquarters City
An ambitious plan to plant 10,000 trees within the district would shade and cool the public realm, but also reduce air and noise pollution. Together with bioswales on ground level, the trees would provide a forest-like habitat for birds and insects.
▼ night view of the Shenzhen Bay Headquarters City
Henning Larsen will collaborate closely with other two winners and the government to refine the design and propose a coherent final masterplan vision.
▼ physical model, bird-eye’s view of the Shenzhen Bay Headquarters City
▼ physical model, park of the Shenzhen Bay Headquarters City
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