In Zhuhai, the new Gree Electric Appliances headquarters demonstrates an innovative approach to changing demands when it comes to work environment. High-rise buildings have long been seen as synonymous with maximising land use efficiency. But Xu Yunchao, the founding lead architect of Atelier Apeiron, the design firm based in Shenzhen which designed the Gree building, says, “We cannot continue with the routine of creating just another high-rise building. We have to respond to corporate transformation [in work culture] with the architectural space.”

The 200-metre-high Gree Global Centre is made up of nine stacked, box-shaped units, each of them accommodating different needs, bringing work and well-being together in one space: as well as offices, there are also spaces for yoga rooms, lecture halls and product displays. “[Gree] is a practical, straightforward enterprise, and our design concept, which emphasises communication and interaction, aligns perfectly with its vision,” Xu says.

Further south in Shenzhen’s Nanshan District, China’s largest digital retailer JD.com will open a new multi-use headquarters by the end of 2027. Named Scenic City, the two-tower complex consists of office, hotel, retail and cultural spaces, including a theatre and exhibition hall which will be open to the public. Beneath the towers will be a podium for cultural events.

“Shenzhen is a city that grows at an incredible speed,” says Ole Scheeren, the founder of Büro Ole Scheeren, a global architecture firm with offices in Hong Kong, Beijing, London and Berlin, in charge of Scenic City. Scheeren first visited Shenzhen 32 years ago, when “it was hardly a city. Today, it’s one of China’s major [cities], and has also morphed from a manufacturing place into a tech hub. It has an incredible culture of innovation.”

He was also attracted by the city’s vitality to design for the Greater Bay Area. As well as Scenic City, his firm’s other recent projects in the area include Shenzhen Wave, the new headquarters for telecommunications and technology company ZTE, slated for opening in 2025; and Tencent Helix, the global headquarters of technology conglomerate Tencent, expected to open in 2028. Both will feature mixed-use spaces, wellness facilities and common areas where employees can meet organically and are designed with a “vision of how such large tech headquarters can become their own micro versions of an urban environment and city”, meaning the building isn’t only a space for work in the traditional sense but also for socialising, relaxation or cultural happenings.

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“With a building this large—such as Scenic City, which spans almost two million sq ft—you’re building a significant part of a city, which doesn’t only need workspaces and living spaces; it also needs cultural spaces for the public,” Scheeren says. “I hope to design a new architectural prototype that offers to the employees and the company an environment that doesn’t purely focus on productivity, but redefines productivity as a much more complex ecosystem of people, their cultures, communication, collaboration and [a flexible working mode].”

Shenzhen is widely seen as the Greater Bay Area’s “economic engine”, and has seen an influx of professionals over the past three decades. Attracting and supporting top talent takes more than Grade A office spaces and high-end residences; elements like healthcare, cultural spaces and educational facilities are also deemed essential.

New additions in the area include Atelier Apeiron’s recently completed Hengqin Culture and Art Complex, which has nine distinct functions: a library, an archives centre, a concert hall, a cultural centre, an art gallery, a science museum, a women and children’s activity centre, an elderly activity centre and a youth activity centre.

Since 2018, Atelier Apeiron’s Xu has also undertaken numerous school projects in the city, where there has been a need for more early educational facilities; Guangdong province recorded more than a million newborns last year, making it the province with the highest birth rate in the country, and Shenzhen has the highest birth rate in Guangdong.

Xu’s school designs accommodate the region’s changing approach to education. For instance, instead of confined classroom spaces, Kindergarten of Museum Forest features connected courtyards that encourage children to interact and run around. Similarly, Lotus Terrace Kindergarten and primary school Minzhi School feature ample outdoor play areas.

When it comes to places of leisure, 10 Design’s Auyeung observes that the retail industry has been facing more challenges, as shoppers are no longer satisfied with malls that only feature shops; they want “a destination and a family outing spot that creates a unique and unforgettable experience”.

Shenzhen Qianhai Huafa Ice and Snow World is one of 10 Design’s most ambitious projects. Slated for completion next year, it will become the world’s largest indoor ski resort, spanning 860,000 sq ft, and will be capable of hosting international ski competitions. The resort is also intended to be a cultural and leisure landmark integrating sports, entertainment, retail, hotels and office space.

And aesthetics have become a major factor at malls too. At Shenzhen’s Jinwan Huafa Mall, a 10 Design project, the corridors are designed to guide customers through the building in a way that allows them to appreciate the outdoor lake views and green spaces. The company built a canopy from fluorine-based plastic—the same material used to build Beijing’s Water Cube—which changes colour, adding to visitors’ sensory experience.

There are also architecture firms that seek to highlight the Greater Bay Area’s unique landscape. Southern China is known for its waterfalls, and Büro Ole Scheeren references this in the design of Scenic City. The towers’ shiny blue façades bear a subtle resemblance to two streams of water; from afar, it is as if Scenic City is a magnificent waterfall plunging down against the blue sky. But this is not purely about looks—the vertical louvres provide ventilation and modulate the glass’s reflectivity and transparency. Within these “waterfall” towers, there are also gardens for staff to relax.

“My vision was always to incorporate nature—a human habitat as a space that people can use—be that through gardens, green parks, terraces or other features where green doesn’t just contribute to an image of a building, but to the actual life of people in the building,” says Scheeren.

Other examples where the designers foreground physical characteristics of the region or local culture include 10 Design’s Jinwan Huafa International Business Centre, which speaks to the history of Jinwan District as an aviation service area with an aeroplane wing-shaped structure; and Shizimen Gateway Bridge, which features an asymmetrical loop inspired by the coastal terrain and creates a reflection in the water that forms a number eight, that ubiquitous Chinese symbol of prosperity.

With their impressive scale, culturally imbued aesthetics and mixed functions, the area’s architecture— both existing and in the making—is reflective of a new era of creativity and lifestyle, and points to the Greater Bay Area’s rising influence. “Opportunities for architects to build a city from scratch are rare,” says Auyeung. “Architects from different countries wouldn’t want to miss this chance. The Greater Bay Area’s vision as the future megalopolis, its emphasis on sustainable development, carbon neutrality and other important issues are also an attractive challenge for architects.” Xu is also optimistic about the area’s development in the coming decade. “The genetic make-up of the Greater Bay Area is open and inclusive, [which is good because] only through openness, diversity, mutual connectivity and flexible travelling can a city continue to innovate.”

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