Immersed in an area of high and dense vegetation, thanks to its irregular and angular geometry plinth, the project generates a sloping landscape building that aims to blend into its surroundings. Its interior spaces are endowed with amplitude and luminosity. Through a Z-shaped trace, two open interior spaces are opened that serves as an exhibition or meeting space.
The Munich-based firm has been taking on several major projects in the country over the last decade. Once construction is complete, the massive corporate headquarters will be added to a list of Chinese projects that include an Urban Planning Museum in Nantong, a sports centre in the same city, a high-rise office tower in Shanxi province, and its upcoming Medview Regenerative Medicine Innovation Center now underway in Guangzhou.
Description of project by HENN
The HENN-designed Zoomlion Headquarters is the heart of the new Smart Industry City, scheduled for completion in 2023. The new industrial park will drive innovation in the field of construction engineering and usher in a new era of intelligent, digital and green construction.
The 309,000m² Zoomlion Headquarters will house offices, the Zoomlion Museum, a data centre, a canteen, training and research areas, and sports facilities. HENN’s geometric design balances the client’s production needs with a sensitivity to its rural context; the Headquarters blends into the hilly and densely wooded Changsha green corridor. Made from white concrete, the classic architectural plinth becomes a faceted landscape of walkable green slopes and staircases. This new ground plane traverses an irregularly sloped site and spans a busy motorway to create seamless connections between the north and south sides of the site. The angular main building is wrapped in transparent floor-to-ceiling glass and cantilevers twelve meters over the site, appearing to float above the folded stone landscape.
The Headquarters' interior is spacious and brightly lit; its Z-shaped atrium serves as both an exhibition space and a gathering space for employees. The depth and patterning of the coffered ceiling are informed by intensive solar analysis and echo the design's angular geometry.
The Zoomlion Headquarters is a notable addition to HENN’s portfolio of iconic company headquarters including Osram HQ, Google Office and Zalando Campus, which will be completed later this year. HENN’s Beijing office is also overseeing the upcoming completion of Westlake University in Hangzhou and the IHM Innovation Center in Guangzhou.