The JD Group Southwest Headquarters Building, located in Chengdu, Sichuan, has recently been completed. The architectural design was led by GMP Architects, with partners Feng Gekang and Marg, who won first place in an international competition in 2016. The design concept emphasizes a dynamic interplay of horizontal and vertical flow spaces, creating a seamless transition between indoor and outdoor environments.
The building’s interior and exterior spaces are intricately connected through simple geometric principles. This creates a variety of areas for communication and exchange, resulting in diverse office environments. The eleven-story structure is composed of three rectangular blocks, each rotated 90 degrees relative to the others, which forms the building’s unique layout.
This configuration creates a landscaped courtyard and rooftop garden embedded within the sculptural form. Despite the high-density site and a height limit of 60 meters, the building offers flexible office spaces, all with views of green landscapes. The figure-eight shaped floor plan ensures natural light reaches every workspace.
The building’s main structural support consists of nine solid vertical core tubes, which enable open floor plans across approximately 12,500 square meters per floor. This design maximizes spatial flexibility. The first floor houses key public areas, including a lecture hall and exhibition space. Additionally, the fifth and ninth floors feature shared employee rest areas, complemented by large rooftop gardens on these levels.
The serrated polyline façade accentuates the layered block composition. Slender vertical glass panels and glass fiber-reinforced concrete curtain wall units incorporate independent natural ventilation fans. The curtain wall is segmented every three floors, creating a dynamic interplay of transparent and enclosed surfaces depending on the viewer’s angle. This architectural puzzle, combined with the stacked volumes, establishes a distinctive urban landmark.
JD Group is a leading technology and service company focused on supply chain solutions. This Southwest Headquarters Building is another notable project by GMP Architects for a prominent Chinese network technology and information communication firm.
Project Drawings
△ General Layout Plan
△ First Floor Plan
△ Third Floor Plan
△ Fourth Floor Plan
△ Fifth Floor Plan
△ Sectional Perspective
Project Information
Architectural Design: GMP Architecture Firm
Area: 255,136 m²
Project Year: 2022
Photographers: Schran Images, Lucepo Photography, Huang Qinglong
Lead Designers: Meinhard von Gerkan, Stephan Schütz, Nicolas Pomräneke
Project Manager: Li Min
Design Team (Implementation Phase): Daniele Busi, Rosaria de Canditiis, Johannes Erdmann, Maria Ferreira, Felix Kastner, Andrés Stohlmann, Ho-Jin Wi, Yao Yi, Yang Yang, Zhang Xu
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