K11 HACC

K11 HACC (Hybrid Art and Cultural Center) sits at the heart of a major waterfront development on Shenzhen’s west coast. Together with a shopping mall and an office tower, it forms a cultural and commercial district linked by landscaped public spaces. Rather than creating a singular architectural object, the design approach conceived the building as an extension of the coastal promenade – a public connector between the city and the water.

The building accommodates retail spaces, restaurants, cafés, art galleries and event venues, distributed across three distinct volumes. The spaces in between these volumes form an atrium and public areas on each level. At ground level, the central atrium is accessible from four directions. Principal entrances to the southeast and northwest each open onto outdoor squares, establishing direct connections with both the waterfront and the urban fabric beyond.

An elevated walkway enhances pedestrian circulation at the second floor level. This walkway extends outward to form canopies over key entrances and roof terraces, reinforcing a continuous public realm throughout the development. Both ground-level plazas and upper terraces are activated through landscape, art installations, and spill-out activities from retail and event spaces, cultivating a dynamic, informal place.

Inside the atrium, different levels are linked by staircases that traverse overlapping voids in the floor slabs. A large skylight above introduces natural light deep into the interior, transforming the circulation core into a place that invites social interaction.

The building volumes are clad in coated aluminium panels punctuated by selective glass openings. The panels are folded into modules of varying widths that progressively increase on higher floors, mediating between the building’s overall scale and the human scale at street level. In contrast, the atrium façades are fully glazed, enhancing transparency and accessibility. The elevated promenade is finished in textured, off-white plaster – its seamless surface emphasising spatial continuity.