The Circular Plaza

The project proposes not another tower on the waterfront of Shenzhen Bay, but a new urban plaza an open void that becomes a civic landmark between the China Huarun Building and Raffles Shenzhen Hotel. Positioned on the central axis of the bay and adjacent to the new Culture Park and metro station, the intervention establishes a gateway between nature and city, forming a transition between the tropical landscape and the dense skyline of Houhai. Rather than composing separate podium and towers, the scheme unifies the complex into a single sculpted volume generated from the extrusion of eight interlocking circles. This geometry carves a concave interior plaza, an embracing public void that becomes the symbolic heart of the project. The exterior façade aligns with the orthogonal urban grid, while the inner curvilinear façade creates a dynamic, reflective spatial experience. The result is a singular architectural figure that transforms digital symbolism into physical space, establishing a new urban identity for Shenzhen’s waterfront.

Programme : Office
Location : Shenzhen, China  
Client : ByteDance  
Architect : Jordi Badia, Jaime Batlle, Diana Carbonell, Davide Lorenzato, Ignacio Arizu
Local Architects : schneider + schumacher mbH
Team : Jiarong He, Laura Carlos, Nia Shikharulidze, Elisabet Aguilar
Dates : 2025
Surface : 84.000 m²  
Status : Competition