Project
Soaring High, but Still Connected
Tencent Seafront Towers
Shenzhen, China
City for People,
Not Cars
Tencent’s Net City in Shenzhen puts people first. It prioritizes pedestrians, bicyclists, and public transit passengers instead of motorists.
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The city establishes a visionary model for sustainable coastal development and expands Shenzhen's global reach.
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The integrated design preserves and restores natural ecosystems for a “working waterfront.”
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The public realm extends from community centers to the waterfront’s edge.
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One key goal is to offer a work-life balance for Tencent employees. New corporate offices will be the center of the project, surrounded by living quarters, schools, retail spaces and other amenities.
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To create a more resilient community, the design mitigates storm surges from climate change, maintains environmental performance through advanced sensors, and emphasizes public transit, bicycles and pedestrian access.
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Innovation is advanced via a hyper-connected design that encourages people to interact with each other and the healing benefits of nature.
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Focused on human comfort, the master plan features a complete multi-modal transportation system that bundles convenient mobility and access for employees, residents and visitors.
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Tencent’s two-million-square-meter “Net City” in Shenzhen, China, places the needs of people and the environment before cars in an interconnected, organic ecosystem.
At roughly the size and shape of Midtown Manhattan, Net City features a new Tencent office, a residential neighborhood, schools, retail and other amenities to provide working and living conveniences for the community. The scale, height and spacing of the buildings varies organically, ranging in height from one floor to 30, to create differentiated spaces and experiences, and to provide strong sightlines to nature, other buildings and the rest of the city.
Inside Net City, vehicles are diverted into basement levels around each plot and separated into fast and slow traffic zones. A green corridor that connects all plots is reserved for pedestrians, bicycles and autonomous vehicles. A public transit network accommodates subway stops, high-capacity buses and ferries.
Sustainability is a primary driver of the design, from photovoltaic panels on rooftops, to sensors that track environmental performance and flooding, to the comprehensive transportation network that prioritizes public transit, bicycles and pedestrian access. The design also meets the goals of China’s “Sponge City” initiative by collecting water on campus, managing runoff and flooding, and planting mangrove trees at the shoreline’s edge. Public green spaces are found throughout the plan and include commons, groves, wetlands and recreation parks.
Awards and Publications
Awards
MIPIM Asia, Best Futura Mega Project, Silver
Publications
Archinect, “NBBJ designs massive "Net City" in Shenzhen for Chinese internet provider Tencent” June 22, 2020
Business Insider, “Internet goliath Tencent is building a city the size of Midtown Manhattan...” June 9, 2020
CNN, “Tencent is Building a Monaco-sized 'City of the Future' in Shenzhen” June 15, 2020
DesignBoom, “NBBJ Masterplans Enormous 'Net City' in Shenzhen for Internet Company Tencent” June 11, 2020
Dezeen, “Giant Net City Car-Free Neighbourhood in Shenzhen will Cover Two Million Square Metres” June 11, 2020
Fast Company, “This New Car Free District in Shenzhen is the Size of Midtown Manhattan” June 17, 2020
South China Morning Post, “Tencent plans futuristic neighbourhood in Shenzhen inspired by the internet’s...” June 13, 2020
The Wall Street Journal, “China’s Tencent Plays Master Builder as Tech Firm Plans ‘Net City’” June 9, 2020
