ByteDance Houhai Center
This international competition winning design for ByteDance’s Houhai Center in Shenzhen, China provides the multinational technology company with a flexible, unique, dynamic work environment.
“The pursuit of innovative media is central to ByteDance’s mission of creative exchange. Our design embodies that spirit, drawing on the logic of bits and bytes to shape an undulating façade and an algorithmic tower within a sun-shading eco-frame that supports communication, curiosity, and collaboration”
Located in the southern district of Shenzhen, where many of the city’s tech companies are based, the 62,600 gross square meter tower will include varied spaces for coworking, recreation, dining, and lectures, as well as retail on the lower level. The site is situated at the intersection of the main greenbelt of the Houhai commercial area with views to nearby Shenzhen Bay.
Today’s tenant amenities are business drivers. Flexible environments, interactive tech, and curated programming help companies attract talent, build culture, and stay productive. Pop-ups, meeting zones, and lecture spaces aren’t perks—they’re tools for performance. In this model, the workplace and its culture are visible on the façade itself. It signals a building designed for collaboration, community, and the next generation of employees.
This isn’t just an amenity floor. It’s an environment built for growth and innovation.
“An international leader reshaping online culture, ByteDance called for a design as dynamic as its platforms—one that supports their work culture and promotes social connection and innovation.”
The design is conceived around modalities of connections, both visually and programmatically. By recessing the glass into a framework of extended floorplates, it creates a deeper connection between the inside and outside. A highly energy-efficient exterior skin connects users to the outdoor environment while increasing diffused daylighting deep into the floorplate.
The new center prioritizes a healthy, comfortable, and flexible work environment which maximizes fresh air throughout the building, offers access to roof gardens and lush terraces, and via transparency and views invites greater engagement with the surrounding community.
Beyond the typical amenity floor, the building becomes a platform for tenant success. Amenities aren’t add-ons—they’re part of the environment where teams collaborate, recruit, and innovate. Circulation, terraces, and shared spaces are integrated into the core of the building, extending street life upward and turning the tower into a vertical neighborhood. This creates places where people meet, work, and exchange ideas—not just pass through.
Details
- Year
- 2024
- Location
- Shenzhen, China
- Size
- 673,820 GSF
- 62,600 GSM
- Program
- Offices, Coworking Spaces, Employee Recreation Facilities, Employee Canteen & Kitchen, Meeting Spaces, Conference Hall and Auditorium, Retail, Lobby, Customer Service Center, Parking
Team
- Peter Schubert, Kevin McClurkan, Grace Chen, Matthew Ostrow, Regina Jiang, Kevin Seymour, Jing Ou, Xiaohong Chen, Huishan He, Dongxu Cai, Alan Cation, Junxin Chen, Angela Chi, Nell El Souri, Rachel Finkelstein, Callie Fleetwood, Ayelet Gezow, Jessica Gunraj, Zachary Hinchliffe, Brian Hopkins, Winslow Kosior, Oliver Li, Xinya Li, Andri Putri, Nicolas Schmidt, Ethan Shaw, Furui Sun, Chenxue Wang, Viviana Wang