Büro Ole Scheeren has won the international design competition for Tencent’s new global headquarters in Shenzhen, China. Spanning 14 hectares, this building will be a key part of the new city development along the Qianhai Bay coast. The “Tencent Helix,” designed by Büro Ole Scheeren, will serve as the centerpiece of the future technology and financial district, anchoring the growing ecosystem of this multinational corporation.
This design integrates seamlessly with the overall master plan for Dachan Bay Island New Community, often described as the “final piece of the Shenzhen urban puzzle.” The spiral form of the “Tencent Spiral” symbolizes the company’s rapid growth. At its core lies the Vortex Incubator—a flexible hub connecting four office towers. Surrounding this dynamic structure is a pedestrian network that links the headquarters with the broader urban environment.
Located at the heart of the project, the Vortex Incubator serves as a vibrant gathering space for all employees. It houses Tencent College, leisure areas, fitness clubs, conference centers, and collaborative offices. Extending down to the lobby, it facilitates public interaction and engagement with businesses. This permeable urban base, called the “City Forum,” also includes restaurants, retail spaces, and public amenities, fostering integration between the building and the city.
The building’s exterior is clad in modular prism panels that allow natural sunlight to filter through while offering views of the city and bay. From the vortex core, a spiraling landscape platform extends, bringing nature into the interior spaces and creating functional outdoor areas. The shapes of the four office towers have been carefully designed to maximize natural light and ventilation on every floor, prioritizing passive design principles. The garden ecosystem also helps dissipate heat from the headquarters and supports water retention, following the sponge city concept.
Tencent’s vision is to leverage technology as a multidimensional system that delivers sustainable value to society. Our design for the new headquarters echoes this vision by integrating technology with human and societal needs through a multidimensional spatial and social framework. — Orel Shiren
In a recent interview, Ole Scheeren emphasized the importance of storytelling in architecture, highlighting how buildings create stages for people’s lives and “fictional life expectations.” His firm also won the design competition for the Yibin Brewery Park and Tourism Complex in China, as well as the competition for a 350-meter skyscraper in the Nanjing Jiangbei New Financial Center.
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