tariq khayyat design partners (TKDP) has won a competition to masterplan a 1,300,000 square meter site at the heart of ‘china’s silicon valley’. located at the north gateway of luohu district in shenzhen, the masterplan responds to the city’s need for new social and resettlement housing, offices, hospitality structures, retail spaces, and public facilities. ‘a vibrant, multifunctional hub where the local community will flourish, the new masterplan will offer solutions addressing all aspects of contemporary life,’ says the design team. the project brief, and the overall program, are the result of a 10-year effort spent in market studies, trend assessments, and consultations with the local community.



all images courtesy of tariq khayyat design partners

TKDP’s winning scheme integrates all public facilities and civic components, as well as residences, retail outlets, and corporate units. the layout of the masterplan is informed around a central axis connecting the north and south gateways, where clusters of four towers between 65 and 85 storeys high are connected through plazas and sky-bridges. these fully integrated ‘vertical cities’ combine residential, retail, office and hospitality spaces. meanwhile, a program of social and resettlement housing responds to the needs of shenzhen’s growing population.

the architects explain that all areas within the masterplan are connected and activated through multi-level, horizontal layers: the first is lifted above street level to ease traffic flow, facilitating access to public transport as well as to retail and hospitality units; the second layer offers large parks, civic spaces, and sport facilities for the whole community of residents, workers and visitors alike; finally, the third layer houses all major infrastructure, organically connecting the site’s gateways and all other parts of the masterplan.

project info:

name: shenzhen masterplan

architect: tariq khayyat design partners (TKDP)

project director (TKDP founder): tariq khayyat

design director (TKDP partner): xiaosheng li

project team: maggie mao, omar kaddourah, luoai jaber