‘Headquarters of the future’: Plans for Chinese tech firm Tencent’s vast new campus unveiled

By Oscar Holland, CNN

Published 3:00 AM EST, Thu December 7, 2023

Tencent's new headquarters, Tencent Helix, will accomodate over 23,000 of the tech firm's employees from 2028.

The architects behind Chinese tech giant Tencent’s vast new campus unveiled their plans for the site on Thursday, describing their helix-inspired centerpiece as the “headquarters of the future.”

Set to accomodate over 23,000 employees across nearly 500,000 square meters (5.38 million square feet), the campus will be almost twice the size of Apple’s California headquarters when it opens in five years’ time.

Digital renderings of the design, shared exclusively with CNN by architects Büro Ole Scheeren, show four towers spiraling out from an open central space dubbed the “Vortex Incubator.” The landmark structure will become the focal point of an ambitious — and largely car-free — “future city” being built by Tencent, owner of messaging services WeChat and QQ, in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen.

Speaking to CNN via video call, the architecture firm’s founder, Ole Scheeren, said his building’s “swirling vortex geometry” will create an “ecosystem where everything comes together, where work merges into a very collaborative interactive environment.”

A central area dubbed the "Vortex Incubator" will sit at the heart of the campus.

The German architect’s vision was chosen by Tencent, China’s most valuable publicly traded company, following an international design competition.

The lower floors of the scheme, which is named Tencent Helix, connect the office towers via a large lobby and communal educational, recreational, sports and fitness facilities, including basketball, tennis and badminton courts. At ground level, restaurants and shops will erode the distinction between public and private space.

This layout means that the building “doesn’t have a front and a back,” said Scheeren, who is known for co-designing Beijing’s famous CCTV Headquarters. He added that the structure’s appearance will vary depending on which angle it is viewed from: “It remains very recognizable, but it changes quite a lot in a subtle way.”

City within in a city

The technology firm’s headquarters will be one of dozens of structures, including schools and public amenities, on the site. While some of the buildings are already under construction, others have not yet had their designs unveiled.

An aerial view of the plan shows pedestrian pathways spiraling out into the surrounding neighborhood.

To create a sense of cohesion between the new headquarters and its surroundings, Scheeren’s helix motif — which he said evoked galaxies and bands of cloud around the eye of a storm — will extend into a network of pedestrian pathways spiraling out from the centerpiece structure. The new master plan also includes an undulating path that Scheeren said may look “something like a High Line 2.0.”

“I found a way, without changing any of the existing buildings, to strategically engage them through a pedestrian network and landscaping — and, in a way, to use the public space as a means to tie the whole master plan together,” he added.

Tencent Helix is expected to open in time for the technology firm’s 30th anniversary in 2028 and will replace the company’s main Shenzhen office as its global headquarters.

‘Headquarters of the future’: Plans for Chinese tech firm Tencent’s vast new campus unveiled

"未来的总部"：中国科技公司腾讯庞大新园区计划揭秘

The architects behind Chinese tech giant Tencent’s vast new campus unveiled their plans for the site on Thursday, describing their helix-inspired centerpiece as the “headquarters of the future.”

周四，中国科技巨头腾讯的庞大新园区的建筑师们公布了他们的新地点计划，将其以螺旋线为灵感的中心建筑描述为“未来的总部”。

Set to accomodate over 23,000 employees across nearly 500,000 square meters (5.38 million square feet), the campus will be almost twice the size of Apple’s California headquarters when it opens in five years’ time.

将在五年内开放的这一可以容纳23000名员工，占地面积近500000平方米（538万平方英尺）的园区，大小将是Apple公司加利福尼亚总部的近两倍。

Digital renderings of the design, shared exclusively with CNN by architects Büro Ole Scheeren, show four towers spiraling out from an open central space dubbed the “Vortex Incubator.” The landmark structure will become the focal point of an ambitious — and largely car-free — “future city” being built by Tencent, owner of messaging services WeChat and QQ, in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen.

建筑师Büro Ole Scheeren与CNN独家分享的设计数字效果图显示，四座塔楼从一个被称为“漩涡孵化器”的开放式中央空间盘旋而出。这座地标性建筑将成为腾讯建设的一座雄心勃勃、大部分无车的“未来城市”的焦点，腾讯是消息服务软件微信和QQ的所有者，位于中国南方城市深圳。

Speaking to CNN via video call, the architecture firm’s founder, Ole Scheeren, said his building’s “swirling vortex geometry” will create an “ecosystem where everything comes together, where work merges into a very collaborative interactive environment.”

在和CNN的视频电话中，该建筑公司的创始人Ole Scheeren称该建筑的“漩涡几何结构”将会创建一个“把所有东西会聚在一起，把工作融入到合作交互环境的生态系统”。

The German architect’s vision was chosen by Tencent, China’s most valuable publicly traded company, following an international design competition.

这位德国建筑师的愿景被中国最具价值的上市公司腾讯在一次国际设计比赛中选中。

The lower floors of the scheme, which is named Tencent Helix, connect the office towers via a large lobby and communal educational, recreational, sports and fitness facilities, including basketball, tennis and badminton courts. At ground level, restaurants and shops will erode the distinction between public and private space.

建筑的低楼层被命名为腾讯螺旋，通过一个巨大的大厅、公共教育、娱乐、运动和健身设施来连接办公塔楼，健身设施包括篮球、网球和羽毛球场地。在地面一层，公共和私人区域通过餐厅和商店过渡。

This layout means that the building “doesn’t have a front and a back,” said Scheeren, who is known for co-designing Beijing’s famous CCTV Headquarters. He added that the structure’s appearance will vary depending on which angle it is viewed from: “It remains very recognizable, but it changes quite a lot in a subtle way.”

这样的结构意味着该建筑“没有前面后面一说”，Scheeren说道，Scheeren因之前共同设计了北京著名的CCTV总部而知名。他说从不同的角度去看该建筑差别会非常大：“它依旧很容易识别，但只要略微改变，它的变化就很大”。

City within in a city

城中城

The technology firm’s headquarters will be one of dozens of structures, including schools and public amenities, on the site. While some of the buildings are already under construction, others have not yet had their designs unveiled.

这家科技公司的总部将是该地区的一群建筑之一，其中包括学校和公共设施。虽然其中一些已经开始在建造了，但其余的目前还没有公布其设计。

To create a sense of cohesion between the new headquarters and its surroundings, Scheeren’s helix motif — which he said evoked galaxies and bands of cloud around the eye of a storm — will extend into a network of pedestrian pathways spiraling out from the centerpiece structure. The new master plan also includes an undulating path that Scheeren said may look “something like a High Line 2.0.”

为了在新总部及其周围环境之间创造一种凝聚力，Scheeren的螺旋图案——他说这会唤起风暴眼周围的星系和云带——将延伸到从中心结构螺旋延伸出来的步行道网络中。新的总体规划还包括一条起伏的道路，Scheeren说它可能会看起来“有点像高线2.0？？”。

“I found a way, without changing any of the existing buildings, to strategically engage them through a pedestrian network and landscaping — and, in a way, to use the public space as a means to tie the whole master plan together,” he added.

“我找到了一种方法，在不改变任何现有建筑的情况下，通过步行道网络和地形来战略性地将它们融入进来，并利用公共空间将整个总体规划联系在一起”，他补充道。

Tencent Helix is expected to open in time for the technology firm’s 30th anniversary in 2028 and will replace the company’s main Shenzhen office as its global headquarters.

腾讯螺旋预期将在2028年这家科技公司30周年的时候开放，将替代公司在深圳的主体办公室成为其全球的总部。