Like many Chinese cities, Shenzhen's pace of development is astounding. The expanding skyline is attracting international starchitects from Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates to Bjarke Ingels Group who have descended upon the city to make their mark. Now, gmp Architekten, a firm with a strong presence in Shenzhen and China, has won a design competition for the new headquarters of the China Nuclear Power Engineering Company.

CNPEC Headquarters, image via gmp Architekten

The Hamburg-based company beat out entries by other international architects, including OMA and HENN Architekten. Located in Baolong Industrial Park, three buildings at 46, 41, and 35 storeys are arranged within an entire city block. A podium borders the central publicly accessible green space which includes a variety of flora, including palm trees and bamboo.

CNPEC Headquarters gardens, image via gmp Architekten

The project accommodates a large bus station to serve employees. The podium structure linking the three towers will host the common areas of the building, including its conference centre, and will also be topped with greenery.

CNPEC Headquarters, image via gmp Architekten

The staggered placement of the buildings ensures views are as unobstructed as possible. In addition to the green space provided at the base of the complex, each tower has a series of four-storey sky gardens where the mechanical servicing elements of the building will be located. These essential technical components are masked by small cafeterias, lounges, libraries, and sports areas.

CNPEC Headquarters sky gardens, image via gmp Architekten

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