Tencent plans futuristic neighbourhood in Shenzhen inspired by the internet’s distributed network

When Tencent Holdings was founded in 1998, most Chinese households did not even have access to the internet. A lot has changed in the two decades since. China’s online population is now the largest in the world, and Tencent, an early mover in internet-related services and products, is one of the biggest names in the industry.

Fittingly, Tencent’s ambitious new urban development project pays tribute to its roots. The planned 132.6-hectare Net City in Shenzhen’s Dachanwan port area, slated to start construction by the end of this year, is designed to reflect the “distributed network of the internet itself”, according to Jonathan Ward, a design partner at Seattle-based architectural firm NBBJ, the designers for the project.

“A typical city calls for simplistic and efficient zoning to keep everything under strict control and facilitate the flow of goods, cars and people,” Ward said.

“This principle was driven by a love for the industrial age machine. In today’s computer-driven world, we are free to imagine a highly integrated city that brings ‘work, live, play’ closer together to foster more synergy between people.”

Net City features 200 hectares of building space, including a new Tencent office building at its heart, living areas, schools, retail stores, parks and public transport among other amenities, according to NBBJ.

Shenzhen is China’s hi-tech hub, home to Tencent, Huawei Technologies and other major Chinese companies at the forefront of the country’s broader push for smart cities powered by technologies such as artificial intelligence, cloud computing, big data and 5G.

Tencent did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

With tech companies wielding increasing influence globally, many are making their mark physically on the urban landscape with sprawling projects that go beyond just workspaces.

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In the US, the headquarters of Silicon Valley tech giants look like scaled down models of smart cities, with many focusing on eco-friendly or sustainable features.

Apple’s 70-hectare (173-acre), spaceship-shaped campus in Silicon Valley, completed in 2017, houses not only office space, but also a fitness centre, foot paths, research labs and a green space with more than 9,000 trees. Google’s Mountain View headquarters, meanwhile, features organic gardens and beach volleyball courts, and the company provides shared bicycles as an eco-friendly way for employees to get around the 5-hectare site, which is set to be expanded to at least 29 hectares (72 acres) with two newer building projects, Charleston East and Bay View.

China’s largest tech companies have also been launching ambitious urban development projects in recent years. Telecommunications behemoth Huawei’s lakeside Ox Horn Campus in Dongguan city, Guangdong province, replicates landmarks from 12 European cities with a 7.8km (4.8-mile) commuter rail system connecting buildings across a 127-hectare (314-acre) site.

Tencent’s planned new development is even larger, and like many Silicon Valley campuses, aims to integrate eco-friendly features into its design.

Net City’s designers fundamentally aim to create a city that is “less car-oriented and more people-oriented”, Ward said in an interview.

“The master plan for Net City is human-centric, where the buildings, blocks and open spaces are made for humans without the distraction of motor vehicles and the noise, pollution and speed that comes with them,” NBBJ said in a press release.

Car access will be limited, with some zones reserved for low-speed driving. A green corridor connecting all areas in the development aims to help pedestrians, bicycles and autonomous vehicles move around conveniently, NBBJ added.

The design firm said sustainability is a “primary driver” of the overall design, which includes solar panels on rooftops and sensors that track environmental performance and flooding. It will also include features to collect water on campus, managing run-off and flooding, and mangrove trees – natural storm barriers – will be planted at the shoreline’s edge, according to NBBJ.

Unlike many other tech campuses where most spaces are open only to employees, Net City’s commercial, transport and entertainment areas will be open to the public.

“It is not an ivory island out in the ocean, it's a vibrant part of the Shenzhen network of connectivity,” Ward said. “[Net City is] still high security where it needs to be, but it's part of the community.”

The announcement of Tencent’s new project comes less than two years after the completion of its current headquarters, the 27-hectare Seafront Towers, in April 2018.

The company, which runs the world’s biggest gaming business and China’s largest social media platform, has continued to grow with the pandemic accelerating digital trends in China despite a hit to the wider economy. It posted better-than-expected first quarter earnings of US$4.1 billion, up 6 per cent from the same period last year, on the back of its gaming activities.

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As it expands, Tencent faces the challenge of finding space to house its swelling workforce. The company had 62,885 employees by the end of 2019, more than eight times the figure a decade before, according to Tencent’s annual reports.

NBBJ also designed Seafront Towers, a 250-meter-tall skyscraper that can hold 12,000 employees and which includes an indoor rock-climbing wall, a badminton court and a full-sized basketball court. The architectural firm said Net City is designed to accommodate 80,000 people, although it did not provide a breakdown of the proportion of office workers, residents or visitors this is expected to include.

The “vast majority” of construction for the project is expected to be completed within seven years, Ward said.