Benoy delivers a future-ready urban community in Nanjing
Following the grand opening of Nanjing Alibaba Center, a major provincial-level development, on July 11, we are proud to celebrate another milestone on 18 July, with the official launch of the Phase 1 of Nanjing Jinling Place, the retail anchor of the campus.
Benoy is honoured to have provided full-scope architectural design consultancy for the entire Nanjing Alibaba Center, from the initial masterplanning to the detailed architectural design of individual plots across the park. Our team has been deeply involved in shaping and witnessing the emergence of this one-stop ecological community: an integrated urban destination that seamlessly blends office, retail, and residential spaces to support the Nanjing’s growing talent ecosystem.
Celebrating the fourth milestone in Benoy’s collaboration with Alibaba Group
Project Director at Benoy Shanghai Studio, Yejia Zhu, alongside senior architects Ke Xu and Yawen Li, attended the grand opening ceremony on behalf of the team. They joined representatives from Alibaba Group, the client, and CR MixC Lifestyle, the project’s operator, to celebrate this important milestone on-site. They joined representatives from Alibaba Group, the client, and CR MixC Lifestyle, the project’s operator, to celebrate this important milestone on-site.
The completion of Nanjing Alibaba Center marks the fourth project in Benoy’s long-term collaboration with Alibaba Group, following our work on the Shanghai Alibaba Center, Alibaba Xixi Phase 4, and Wuhan Ali Center. This latest milestone reaffirms our shared commitment to shaping future-ready, human-centric urban destinations across China.
A future-ready campus empowering talent, technology, and cross-border growth
Located in Jianye District, Nanjing Alibaba Center is a key provincial and municipal initiative. As Alibaba’s first self-built and self-owned campus in Jiangsu, it also stands as the largest and most programmatically diverse Alibaba Center in China to date.
Guided by the principles of green, low-carbon development, smart interconnectivity, and open collaboration, the project integrates several forward-thinking features — including the “Qincheng Apartment,” a pioneering talent housing concept introduced here as a national first. To date, 59 high-quality enterprises have already moved in.
Looking ahead, the campus will focus on advancing artificial intelligence and cross-border e‑commerce, while continuing to attract innovative startups — further positioning Nanjing as a regional hub for impactful “AI+” innovation.
From vision to reality — eight years in the making
Qin Pang, Director at Benoy and Head of the Shanghai Office, who led the design of the project, stated:
“After nearly eight years of design and construction, Nanjing Alibaba Center has been successfully delivered on schedule. Congratulations to everyone who contributed to this journey!
Spanning approximately 900,000 square meters across three plots, this is a rare example of a unified, large-scale development that integrates office, retail, residential, headquarters, cultural and sports amenities, and a TOD transport interchange. Its scale and complexity place it among a select group of global projects — and it now serves as a valuable case study in Benoy’s ongoing research into multidimensional, vertically layered urbanism.
The project’s layered integrity, accessibility, cost-efficiency, flexibility, and inclusiveness form a highly intricate system — one that was addressed through concerted efforts of all parties, guided by a methodical process of careful analysis, gradual identification, and step-by-step resolution of core challenges.
We hope that its long-term value will be fully realized through real-world use and user feedback. We would like to express our gratitude to our client for their trust and support, and to the team for their hard work.”
A lifestyle utopia and social hub
As the commercial heart of the campus, Jinling Place was designed in close alignment with the client’s development vision. Phase 1 centres around a “Commercial Mall,” while Phase 2 will adopt a “Hub+Podium” configuration, spanning three basement levels and six floors above ground.
Benoy’s architectural approach is deeply inspired by Alibaba’s spirit of innovation and future-forward thinking. The design introduces a series of iconic nodes, including:
• a grand “urban living room,”
• a multi-level cantilevered rooftop park,
• a network of X‑shaped cross-street corridors that connects the entire area,
• and a striking, flying saucer-inspired hub anchoring the campus core.
Each design element is both purposeful and iconic. The multidimensional, boundary-less spatial system — defined by vertical and horizontal extension — fosters a strong sense of belonging for users, while inviting visitors to linger, explore, and capture moments.
It perfectly embodies the park’s core spirit: bold creativity, ready to take the stage.
Jinling Place spans two phases, with a total retail GFA of approximately 130,000 square meters. Phase I — now open — anchors the development with immersive retail experiences, introducing over 40 Nanjing-first stores and more than 70 regional-first brands to create a fresh and immersive consumer experience, while Phase 2 will follow soon with a “Hub + Podium” configuration spanning three basement levels and six above ground.
Phase 1 alone brings together around 280 brands, with 14% debuting in Nanjing and 41% entering the region for the first time. Positioned as a “new lifestyle utopia,” “youth-driven social hub,” and “everyday-friendly destination,” it combines a one-stop shopping mall with a highly experiential life mall, reshaping the retail landscape in Nanjing.
An ecosystem for the future
With the Yangtze River as its backdrop, driven by innovation, and connected through commerce, Nanjing Alibaba Center marks another milestone in Benoy’s ongoing exploration of the ecological community model.
We hope the project captures attention today as a social media favourite, and continues to thrive — bringing lasting vibrancy and long-term value to the city.
Learn more at: https://www.benoy.com/projects/alibaba-jiangsu-headquarters/
