At the significant milestone of the 45th anniversary of the establishment of Shenzhen Special Economic Zone, the internationally renowned architectural firm Büro Ole Scheeren officially unveiled the design renderings of the Shenzhen Houhai Hybrid Campus. This new urban complex, located in the core strategic area of the former Shenzhen Special Economic Zone, will connect the city’s commercial center with the coastal area and is scheduled to open in late 2026. It will add another functionally integrated landmark to Shenzhen, a city that has transformed from a fishing village into a global innovation hub.
According to the design plan, the project has a total construction area of over 2.5 million square feet (approximately 230,000 square meters), with four towers distributed across four urban plots forming the core structure. Each tower has a clear functional positioning, housing office spaces, co-living apartments, hotel rooms for short-term travelers, and serviced suites for long-term residents respectively. Through functional zoning, the project caters to the needs of multi-generational groups, creating a vibrant campus that can be used continuously 24 hours a day.
To enhance spatial connectivity, the design team innovatively built an elevated pedestrian walkway network to closely link the four towers. Meanwhile, through integrated-design exits and underground passages connecting supporting retail spaces, the complex directly connects to Shenzhen’s metro system, achieving seamless integration between public transportation and architectural space. These shared pedestrian walkways, along with the newly built cultural venues within the project, not only serve transportation functions but also become important bonds for public social interaction, complementing Shenzhen’s existing multi-level pedestrian and bicycle-friendly transportation network—an essential feature aligned with the current architecture new trend of prioritizing human-centric connectivity.
In terms of architectural form, the four towers adopt smooth curved shapes, and their staggered and interlocking volumes not only break the rigidity of traditional urban building clusters but also form a rhythmic skyline. The design team specifically integrated rooftop terraces and outdoor gathering spaces into the towers; from here, visitors can enjoy a panoramic view of the city and the South China Sea. The elevated pedestrian walkways surrounding the building complex form shaded “sky corridors,” enclosing what the designers call the “Central Oasis.” This core landscape area adopts a layered circulation system, with the ground floor and three elevated levels forming a continuous connection zone around the central park. The fountains and reflection pools in the park not only regulate the local microclimate but also create an immersive oasis experience, reflecting the architecture new trend of blending nature with urban structures.
In the selection of vegetation, the project balances ecological and landscape values, planting evergreen plants, seasonal flowering species, and trees adapted to the local climate. Paired with natural stone pavements, it forms a multi-layered landscape system. At the same time, the landscape design cleverly extends the surrounding green axes and achieves ecological connectivity with the adjacent Shenzhen Talent Park, further expanding the city’s public green space—another embodiment of the architecture new trend that emphasizes ecological sustainability.
A relevant person in charge of Büro Ole Scheeren stated that the project aims to break the limitations of single-functional buildings. Through the integration of diverse functions including “work, living, culture, commerce, and leisure,” it builds a “15-minute living circle” to make urban space return to human-oriented needs. Against the backdrop of industrial agglomeration and talent gathering in the Houhai area, this complex will not only improve the quality of urban functions in the region but also is expected to become a demonstration sample for Shenzhen to explore the future urban form, setting a benchmark for the architecture new trend of mixed-use, eco-friendly urban development.
It is worth noting that when this project was announced, cities around the world were simultaneously advancing urban renewal and new architectural projects: 21st Europe and Spacon Architects proposed the “Playful Continent” initiative, exploring the possibility of playgrounds as civic infrastructure; Snøhetta designed the tropical waterfront master plan “Jesselton Wharf” for Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia; and MVRDV designed rock-themed tourism facilities for Jialeshui in Taiwan, China. Among these, the Shenzhen Houhai Hybrid Campus, with its innovative use of high-density urban space and in-depth exploration of functional integration and ecological connectivity, is becoming a key practical case in the global architecture new trend of complex urban architectural design.
