Wuhan Alibaba Center
Benoy
Client: Alibaba Group
Design Highlights 1. Ali Campus Concept Benoy, the project's design firm, developed the innovative "Ali Campus" concept, through in-depth study of Alibaba's corporate culture and the interaction between offices and businesses. This framework goes beyond traditional commerce, introducing new spatial typologies such as challenge space, iteration space, resilience space, and healing space. These spaces are tailored to meet the needs of future generations of users, injecting vitality into a typology often marked by homogeneity. 2. "Kongming Lock" Structure The design draws inspiration from the traditional Chinese "Kongming Lock"—a wooden puzzle formed by interlocking pieces that can only be solved through wisdom and precision. This principle is reinterpreted architecturally: the functional units, including two ecological office towers and a new retail business hub, are interlaced, nested and reconstructed in a three-dimensional system. Just as the lock symbolises ingenuity and resilience, the design symbolises integration and adaptability , creating a highly distinctive architectural form and a powerful connectivity network. A six-layer roof structure links high- and low- zone areas vertically, ensuring efficient circulation across the campus. 3. Abundant Outdoor Spaces The project breaks away from the enclosure of conventional high-rise office buildings. In addition to the unique "HUB space," the design incorporates multiple open areas such as roof gardens, skywalks, sunken plazas, and terraces. These open environment foster daily social interaction, activities, and information exchange for work and leisure. Key Components 1. Office Towers The two towers, at heights of 272.5 meters and 173 meters, provide over 210,000 square meters of high-quality office space. Designed to meet the demands of modern work, they integrate advanced facilities with flexible, high-performance environments. The curtain wall feature large-scale horizontal sun-shading lines that preserve the towers’ sleek profile while significantly reducing energy consumption. 2. New Retail Business Hub The 90,000-square-metre new retail business hub, known as Wuhan Qincheng MixC, is a collaboration between China Resources MixC and Alibaba's "Qinchengli." Positioned to meet the diverse needs of urban young people, it combines commerce, fashion, and social spaces, enriched by cultural and exhibition functions that elevate the overall shopping experience. Impact Blending respect for local cultures with advanced cutting-edge ecological design, the Wuhan Alibaba Center has already achieved a 99.5% rental rate, hosting over 125 top-performing brands, and acclaimed cultural exhibitions. Sustainability is embedded throughout, from energy-efficient curtain walls and green rooftops to Alibaba’s Digital Twin technology for optimal resource management. Completed in 2025, the Wuhan Alibaba Center stands as a benchmark for eco-friendly, design-driven mixed-use hubs, reinforcing Alibaba’s Central China presence while leading the next generation of green urban development.