Nanjing Alibaba Centre
China
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Shanghai Alibaba Center
- Location
- Shanghai, China
- Client
- Alibaba
- Services
- Interior Design, Wayfinding
- Sector
- Mixed Use, Retail, Office
Benoy’s first project for Alibaba and the start of an ongoing collaborative relationship.
Ali Center Shanghai marked the beginning of an ongoing relationship between Benoy and Alibaba, catalysing the ecommerce giant’s growing mixed-use real estate portfolio in China. Located in the business district of Hongqiao, Shanghai, Ali Center covers three plots and includes retail, commercial offices and two sunken courtyards. The development consists of four buildings covering a gross floor area of over 140,000m2. The lower floors of each building house new online and offline retail businesses, while the upper floors are given to international Grade A office spaces. The retail and commercial office components each carry their own identity and visibility, while remaining consistent with wider complex.
DatesDesigned 2015; Completed 2028
Size
GFA: 140,000m2
A sense of belonging underpins the design approach, expressed through open, interconnected characteristics of the space, with pedestrian flow and open-air spaces at its core. Wayfinding is handled through clear, oversized building numbers on the lobby glass curtain walls, the outdoor structural columns and the building entrances. Through the logical division of indoor space, material use, lighting effects, colour application and furniture selection, the interiors achieve a subtle and harmonious yet confidently modern interior environment – in line with Alibaba’s brand.
A focal point in ‘Ali orange’
The signature ‘Ali orange’ is woven throughout the development, applied to key touchpoints including the reception areas, information desks, wayfinding graphics and elevator halls, as well as a feature 5-storey ‘ribbon’ sweeping across the two sunken courtyards. Extending from the first basement level to the fourth floor, the design connects across a series of interior and exterior spaces, playing on the notion of brand consistency and visual connection.
