OMA conceives tencent's beijing headquarters as a small vertical city

conceived as a small vertical city, OMA has completed the design of tencent’s new headquarters in beijing. although the building accommodates thousands of employees, the structure is only seven storeys tall with exceptionally large floorplans that measure 180 x 180 meters (590 x 590 ft). internally, the building is divided into nine quadrants — each with their own core that can function independently. a web of intersecting ‘streets’ connects all cores, bringing both hierarchy and legibility.

all images by ossip van duivenbode, courtesy of OMA

OMA also sub-divided each floor plan into zones with diverse programming — work, education, play — and a variety of types of spaces for these different purposes. the architects point out that the visual connections between zones results in an awareness of the activities taking place throughout the campus. outside a net of paths efficiently connects the quadrants, interspersed by a mosaic of green spaces for various outdoor activities.

meanwhile, a series of voids carved into the building provides occupants with a number of benefits. ‘at the center of the campus, triangular prisms are excavated, creating courtyards that bring variety and daylight, ventilation and nature into the interior,’ explain the architects. ‘at the perimeter the floor plate steps down, shaping an informal peripheral ring with communal spaces. to offset the inertness of the square volume, the corners of the building are cut off, defining the entrances, and the top floor is setback creating a wide outdoor panoramic.’

animation © OMA

project info:

location: beijing, china
client: tencent
program: office HQ
OMA partner in charge: rem koolhaas, david gianotten
associate: adam frampton, ravi kamisetti
project leader: patrizia zobernig
team: kathleen cayetano, vanessa chan, hin cheung, yin ho, jedidiah lau, kwan ho li, vivien liu, kai sun luk, kevin mak, cristina martin de juan, arthas qian, saul smeding, benny tam, arthas qian, hannah zhang, casey wang with helen chen, jocelyn chiu, stella tong

collaborators —
chinese co-architect: BIAD
structure, HVAC/MEP/electric, traffic, BIM: BIAD, AECOM
interior: woods bagot
landscape: inside outside, maya lin studio, margie ruddick landscape
façade: VS-A, beijing zizhou architecture curtain wall design consulting co., ltd.
broadcast: radio, film & TV design and research institute
lighting: beijing ning field lighting design corp., ltd.
fire engineering: tianjin fire research institute of M.E.M., china academy of building research institute of building fire research
acoustics: DHV
sustainability: DAS daring
kitchen consultant: compass