10 Design completes Haisco Plaza - A Green Community Centre in Chengdu's New High-Tech Zone

Designed by international architecture practice 10 Design (part of Egis Group), Haisco Plaza is officially open, welcoming leading tech-firm tenants in Chengdu, China...

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From the architect: Situated in the Singapore-Sichuan Hi-Tech Innovation Park (SSCIP), a 1,034ha innovation platform jointly invested by Singapore and Sichuan Province of China, the Haisco Plaza development presents a unique opportunity to create a new commercial and retail community for the TMT (technology, media, telecom) industry.  The Innovation Park is already home to a number of high-tech giants including Haisco Pharmaceutical, OPPO, FOUNDER, and Kuaishou.

Managing Principal, Barry Shapiro commented: “The overall masterplan for this integrated mixed-use campus places social interaction at the heart of the design. Our vision is to create a truly inclusive, human-scaled space for all tenants and visitors to enjoy. The integrated communal spaces weave throughout the development to create opportunities for social interaction, commercial viability and amenities to create a strong sense of community for the future tenants.”

Design Principal Nick Cordingley led the competition win in 2016 while Design Principal Scott Findley oversaw the delivery of the design vision. Haisco Plaza is planned as a vibrant destination for its surrounding working and residential community with convenient access to an adjacent metro station. It is a unique development created to attract innovation-centric and knowledge-intensive enterprises.

Diverse live-work programs on the campus are organized around an east-west central green axis, with multi-level shaded circulation routes between functions. The buildings are thoughtfully positioned to ascend in height along the green axis: the low-rise retail structures at the west draw attention to the centre of the campus and attract visitors from adjacent plots; the main headquarters tower occupies the most prominent northeast corner; and the leasable office towers rest in between. 

To further enhance the pedestrian experience within the campus, vehicular access is planned along the periphery of the site while a lush landscape permeates the entire campus. A generous green belt is reserved for the north boundary, inviting passersby to wander in and explore. Each tower has stepped terraces and rooftop gardens, reinforcing the concept of outdoor living typical in Chengdu. 

Standing as an iconic architectural statement, the main tower is made up of three stacked volumes descending in size, creating green terraces along the south façade. The floor plate is efficiently designed as a parallelogram with central core to secure maximum flexibility for single and multi-tenant users, including the new research and development centre for the primary client.

The retail section is also designed with flexible floor plates and extensive open terraces to allow for diverse retail formats and alfresco dining opportunities. Shops and restaurants extend along the central green spine, woven with sunken plazas and link bridges to form key activity nodes activating the inner street space and engaging pedestrians from all directions.

Atop the retail street, the leasable office towers are designed with varying floor plates and building configurations, enabling them to be flexibly converted into multi-storey headquarters or shared offices for start-ups.

Towers with larger linear floorplates are located to the north of the site while smaller ‘villa-style’ office spaces are located along the southern edge, maximising natural light intake and views of the central promenade. Green terraces are placed along the south elevation providing additional breakout spaces for office users whilst also serving as passive shading for the internal office spaces.

The façade design borrows vertical textures and weaving patterns from the local Chengdu Embroidery to form a unified identity. A neutral yet vibrant colour palette was selected, encapsulating the dazzling modernity and infinite energy of the development. A high performance curtain wall system with low-E coated glazing units features a series of vertical fins to achieve passive shading and minimise glare.

Architect: 10 Design
Client: Haisco Real Estate Co., Ltd
Location: Chengdu, China
Year: 2022
Site area: 30,063 sqm
GFA: Approx. 82,000sqm
Design Principal: Nick Cordingley, Scott Findley
Project Principal: Barry Shapiro
Team: Wen Ren, Rita Pang, Vincent Fung, Jinjing Yu, Frisly Morales, Daniel Wang, Cherie Cheung, Nemo Liu, Kay Zhang, Bonnie Wong
Photography: Arch-Exist Photography