XIAOMI International Headquarters

Classification: Commercial Location: Shenzhen, China Approx. Project Cost: US$1.11 billion Approx. Commencement Date: 4Q 2021 Approx. Completion Date: 2024

Artist impression.

(Source: Ennead Architects)

The internationally renowned New York City-based architectural firm, Ennead Architects, has been selected to design and build the Xiaomi Group Shenzhen International Headquarters in the port city of Shenzhen, China.

The winning design was a competition entry held in conjunction with the 10th anniversary of Xiaomi, the consumer electronics designer and manufacturing giant.

Codenamed “Xiaomi Rubik’s Code”, the HQ construction project will be a graceful architectural fusion between technology and our environmental nature as the HQ will be integrated into one of Xiaomi’s flagship concept stores, blended in with shorelines of the blooming Shenzhen port city. The structure resembles a Rubik's Cube with a 360-degree LED screen surrounding the building’s podium, representing Xiaomi’s success and aspirations for the future.

Nestled in the heart of Houhai Financial and Commercial Headquarters Base, one of the key development areas in Shenzhen, Xiaomi Shenzhen International Headquarters and Xiaomi Home, the company’s flagship store, will become CREDIT LIST

DEVELOPER: The Xiaomi Group ARCHITECT: Ennead Architects

Shenzhen's new destinations for shopping, tourism, and civic life.

The architects wanted to design a more "flexible and modular environment that can be adapted to suit the ever-changing technological landscape".

“The inspiration for the design comes from the focus on technology and sense of wonder that Xiaomi brings to the public. The interior layout of the ‘Mi Rubik's Cube’ is based on architectural circulation and guides the interaction and integration of various program spaces, while the exterior concretely represents the unremitting innovation and collaborative spirit of Xiaomi's culture and mission,” said Peter Schubert FAIA, Design Partner at Ennead Architects.

Grace Chen, Ennead Architects’ Principal, said: “Our goal is to design a more flexible and modular environment that can be adapted to suit the ever-changing technological landscape.”

The ‘Mi Rubik's Cube’ will not only be the headquarters of Xiaomi, but also a vehicle through that the public can understand Xiaomi. We want to create an enduring home for cutting-edge design,” she added.

The architecture features an elevated ground floor used as a public space, with a LED screen wrapped around the podium. The screens will display sensory experiences for visitors and passersby, projecting Xiaomi’s work and adding vibrancy to the cityscape of Shenzhen.

Above the podium, the “Mi Rubik’s Cube,” an architectural massing that reflects the work performed by Xiaomi’s designers and engineers, creates a sense of upward movement, as if the tower were floating above the city. The ground floor is elevated to the second floor, allowing the ground-level spaces to be "released" back to the city.

Artist impression: The “Xiaomi Rubik’s Cube” will cover 46 thousand square meters of land, with the cube having 360 degrees illuminating LED panels on its 4 sides, which are namely its North, South, East and West sides.

(Source: Ennead Architects)