Benoy at the opening of West Bund Central Phase 2 in Shanghai

Phase 2 of Hongkong Land’s West Bund Central opened in Shanghai’s Xuhui Riverside on 30 April 2026. Benoy, who leads the architectural design of two of the scheme’s commercial plots, attended the opening ceremony alongside the client and the wider design and delivery team.

West Bund Central is Hongkong Land’s largest single investment to date, bringing together retail, Grade A offices, residential and hotel programmes across approximately 1.8 million m² of floor space, with a total investment of more than 60 billion yuan. The scheme sits within Shanghai’s wider Xuhui Riverside regeneration. Benoy has masterplanned and designed two of its plots: Plot D, the shopping mall, with around 107,000 m² above ground and 33,000 m² below; and Plot E, which combines a further 62,200 m² of commercial space with two 50m office towers.

Phase 2 introduces a series of flagship retailers to Shanghai, including the Asia-Pacific flagship of La Maison Ladurée and Issey Miyake’s first full-line store in China. Two signature design elements anchor the public realm: the Seed Pavilion, and a sequence of terraced public steps connecting the riverside esplanade to the upper retail levels. The phase has been delivered to net-zero ESG principles.

Benoy’s work on West Bund Central is led from its Shanghai studio. Director and Studio Head Qin Pang and Project Director Yejia Zhu attended the opening with the wider design team.

Work continues on the remaining commercial spaces within Plots D and E.