Located in Hangzhou, eastern China, the R&D Park provides Huawei, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of mobile communication devices, with ample space for research and development. Embedded in a lush waterscape, the 251,000-square-meter site located in the northwestern part of the city features offices, administrative buildings, and a canteen for 8,000 employees. The Knowledge Park and the Landscape Park merge into a harmonious whole.
Nestled into a densely developed neighborhood, the corporate campus is designed as a spacious park with low-rise buildings – architecture and landscape are closely interwoven. The soil excavated during the construction phase was used to model hills to a height of up to seven meters, which accentuate the expansive landscape, inviting visitors to discover and explore the park. The centerpiece of the landscape design is a lake, which stimulates the senses, invites visitors to stroll, and provides a pleasant microclimate. It also plays a vital role in water management. A ring road runs around the car-free site, clearly separating the park from the traffic areas.
A total of six modular structures accommodating research facilities and offices are arranged along the shore of the elongated lake. The rectilinear buildings contrast with the organic topography and lush natural surroundings. The positioning of the five-story structures resembles a lemniscate, the symbol of infinity: Two square volumes each with a central courtyard connect at their corners. On the ground floor, the buildings open onto passageways that interweave the park and courtyards to create a natural landscape continuum. The courtyards also house the entrances to the individual departments. This complex is complemented by two smaller modules for administration and service units, a gatehouse, and a centrally located canteen situated on the lakeshore in the middle of the campus. Narrow terraces extend the area of the two-story canteen to the outside, providing direct access to the lake and an undisturbed parkscape view.
The building modules’ façades show a functional aesthetic appeal and a clear structure. Three main stories and a recessed top floor complement the open ground-floor layout. The main floors feature large windows and closed surfaces made from anodized aluminum, as well as outward-turning sunshades that wrap around the building. The top floor equipped with a rooftop photovoltaic system is designed to provide additional topography through recesses to free up space for green roofs.
The Huawei R&D Park embodies the synergy between engineering precision and natural landscape, creating an inspiring environment for forward-looking research and innovation.
Team:
Client: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd
Architecture: HENN
Partner in charge: Christian Bechtle, Georg Pichler
Project director: Georg Pichler
Design Principal: Martin Henn
Felix Beyreuther, Michael Böhm, Karolin Do-Tran, Carola Heidkamp, Attila Horvath, Katrin Jacobs, Sylvia Kipping, Fangyuan Li, Kathrin Mager, Janine Parvis, Jörgen Schädlich, Roman Schmidt, Kathrin Stamm, Xiaoye Wang, Qiang Xu
Local Planning Partner: (LDI) ECADI - East China Architectural Design & Research Institute
Landscape architecture: Atelier Dreiseitl (now: Ramboll Studio Dreiseitl)
Consultants: Werner Sobek AG (Structural engineer), ZWP Ingenieur-AG (Building services), PMI GmbH (Building physics), East China Architectural Design & Research Institute (Fire protection), iPb Ingenieurbüro Planung Blei, SuP Ingenieure GmbH (Façade), Lumen³ GbR (Lighting design)
Photographer: Tian Fangfang
