From Wenling to Shenzhen, a new kind of supertall is taking shape.
Two towers are completing in China this month in two cities writing their next chapters. One tops out in Luohu, a district of Shenzhen long overshadowed by the city’s newer CBDs but now very deliberately remaking itself. The other anchors a new waterfront in Wenling, a regional city on the eastern coast asserting itself as a regional centre. Both of these supertalls reflect something interesting about where landmark architecture is headed in China.
In 2021, the Chinese government introduced restrictions on buildings over 500 metres, calling for a new architectural era that earns its place by embodying the spirit of its surroundings rather than simply asserting itself through height 1Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, People’s Republic of China, 2021.. The supertall didn’t disappear — China completed 94 of the world’s 136 tall buildings in 2024 alone2Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH), Tall Buildings in Numbers, 2024. — but the terms of ambition shifted.
The towers arriving in Shenzhen and Wenling are part of that shift. Both sit under the 500-metre threshold and are deeply embedded in their urban context. They also indicate a broader movement of landmark architecture beyond the established megacity skylines of Shenzhen and Zhejiang’s newer CBDs, into cities and districts using architecture to do real civic and economic work. What unites them is a design intention that runs from the crown all the way to the ground.
In Shenzhen, the challenge was different in character but similar in intent. A large, high-density mixed-use site risked becoming difficult to navigate and fragmented in experience. Our solution is a U-shaped circulation system linking all towers and retail podiums, which transforms that complexity into something continuous and walkable. The U-shaped circulation resolved the challenge of stitching together three narrow plots into what would otherwise have been a 300‑metre corridor. A simple linear path risked feeling like an endless tunnel, monotonous and disorienting.
“The breakthrough came when we rethought the connection points: the U-shape naturally breaks the journey into distinct segments, with each turn creating a sense of arrival. At these hinges, we introduced sunken plazas and sky gardens, which act as experiential hubs where indoors meets outdoors. This configuration transforms a potentially lifeless passageway into a vibrant social spine that links retail, office, and residential uses.”
At Wenling Centre, the tower’s vertical elegance is matched by an equally considered ground plane. Pedestrian movement and water-taxi access are woven into the design, with the building opening toward the waterfront rather than turning away from it. The tower’s signature crown, meticulously engineered to be free of internal structure, defines the skyline without compromising what happens beneath it.
“The waterfront setting was the starting point. We wanted the building to belong to the water’s edge, not simply sit beside it, balancing an iconic tower with sensitive placemaking. Instead of allowing the tower to dominate, we focused on pedestrian and water taxi connections, creating public experiences at ground level while lifting exclusive terraces for residents above. The intent was to give travellers, residents, and locals their own relationship with the water. Distinct landscape zones provide access to the water’s edge for everyone while maintaining a sense of intimacy. What makes it special is this layering: public energy at the ground plane, private tranquillity above, all unified by the waterfront.”
Taken together, the two projects are a study in how supertall design operates across scales simultaneously, and in how cities use architecture to articulate who they are becoming. The crown matters. So does the footpath. In Shenzhen and Wenling, they are part of the same conversation.
Photography credit: Rong Ding at AUBE
Media enquiries Shirley Hao Content and Communications Leader – China
Sydney, Australia
Hobart, Australia
05 Jul 24
27 Sep 23