The architecture practice HENN was selected through a competition to design the Kingdee Cloud Tower, whose construction has recently been completed on the edge of the Nanshan neighborhood in Shenzhen, an emerging technology district.

Overlooking a lush green corridor, the 211-meter-high tower is the latest addition to the Kingdee software park, located in Shenzhen Bay. Its base is nestled between two existing office wings, making use of the narrow space remaining on the site.

For the Kingdee Cloud Tower, HENN has incorporated an elevated garden that serves as a connecting platform between the existing buildings and accommodates leisure spaces, sports facilities and cafés, also accessible to the general public. The floor area of the office spaces, relatively small at the base, expands as the tower rises, creating cantilevers that mark the entrance to the park and establish a relationship with the neighboring buildings and the landscaped surroundings.

Visible for miles around, the façade of this new headquarters is conceived as a folded envelope inspired by the lightness and transformability of clouds. It is composed of stainless-steel panels slightly offset from one another, whose arrangement varies according to the orientation of each façade and the position of the sun. These elements create a dynamic interplay of light and shadow that changes with weather conditions, making the building appear to merge with the sky.

Kingdee Cloud Tower by HENN. Photograph by Tian Fangfang.

Kingdee Cloud Tower by HENN. Photograph by Tian Fangfang.

Project description by HENN

The Cloud Tower completes the existing Kingdee software park in Shenzhen’s Nanshan neighborhood, which is an emerging tech district. Located on the edge of a green strip, the 211-meter-high tower provides space for offices, conferences and a restaurant for Kingdee, a leading provider of enterprise management cloud services globally.

Kingdee Cloud Tower por HENN. Fotografía por Tian Fangfang.
Kingdee Cloud Tower by HENN. Photograph by Tian Fangfang.

The tower base is nestled between two existing office wings, on the narrow space that is still free on the site. The pentagonal footprint of the new high-rise is the result of maximizing the given space on site. The relatively small floor area of the open base floors is extended in the upper office floors as the tower rises above the existing buildings towards the sky. This extension creates distinct cantilevers, which mark the entrance to the software park and relate to its urban surroundings: its neighboring buildings and the park. The tower’s sculptural overall shape is characterized by the consciously placed cantilevers and varies depending on the viewpoint.

Kingdee Cloud Tower por HENN. Fotografía por Tian Fangfang.
Kingdee Cloud Tower by HENN. Photograph by Tian Fangfang.

Towards the outside, the base floors are kept open in order to create a publicly accessible lobby, which serves as an urban living room, and an elevated garden above, where events and art exhibitions can be held. The garden functions as a connecting platform for the existing buildings and houses leisure spaces, sports facilities, and cafés—also benefitting the wider public in the area. The open base allows for daylight and air in the courtyard and the lower office buildings.

Kingdee Cloud Tower por HENN. Fotografía por Tian Fangfang.
Kingdee Cloud Tower by HENN. Photograph by Tian Fangfang.

The façade of the Cloud Tower gives the impression of a folded envelope, which is composed of stainless-steel panels slightly shifted against each other. Inspired by the lightness and transformability of clouds in the sky, the relief-like façade elements create a lively interplay of light and shadow that changes depending on the time of day and weather. The reflective glass surfaces of the façade capture the current cloudscape, making the building appear to merge with the sky. Flexible panels, which vary depending on the side of the building and the position of the sun, help to reduce direct sunlight and allow plenty of daylight to flow into the interior.

Kingdee Cloud Tower por HENN. Fotografía por Tian Fangfang.
Kingdee Cloud Tower by HENN. Photograph by Tian Fangfang.

Visible for miles around the city, the tower gives Kingdee a new prominent home for their head office and contributes to the urban and social fabric of the city.

More information

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Architects
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HENN. Lead architects.- Martin Henn. 

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Project team
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Partner in charge.- Hans Funk. 
Project directors.- Yuchen Wang, Sha Liao. 
Design principal.- Martin Henn. 
Giovanni Betti, Denise Gellinger, Thomas Grabner, Yuanhao Li, Janine Parvis, Georg Pichler, Yaxi Yang, Wanyi Zhang. 
Competition team partner in charge.- Martin Henn. 
Competition team.- Thomas Grabner, Nora Graw, Klaus Ransmayr.

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Collaborators
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Local Planning Partner (LDI).- Shenzhen Capol International & Associates.
Interior Design.- Gensler.
Façade.- PAG Façade Systems.
Landscape architecture.- ACLA.
Lighting design.- RDI.

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Client
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Kingdee International Software Group Company Limited.

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Contractors
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General contractor.- CSCEC.
Façade contractor.- China Fangda Group.

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Area
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Site.- 5,000 sqm.
Gross.- 98,800 sqm.
Height.- 211 m.

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Dates
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Competition.- 2014 (1st prize.)
Construction start.- 2020.
Completion.- 2025.

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Location
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No.2, Hi-tech Development, Zone Hi-tech South 12th Road, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China.

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Photography
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HENN was founded in 1947 by Walter Henn in Dresden. It is an international architectural practice with over 75 years of experience in the fields of office, science, healthcare, industry, and culture. It is an interdisciplinary team of architects and engineers able to draw on a wealth of knowledge gathered over decades of construction experience, in addition to a worldwide network of partners and experts.

Walter Henn's son, Gunter Henn, opened HENN's Munich office in 1979. Currently, Martin Henn and a team of partners lead the practice. The three generations are linked through shared values ​​of openness and curiosity, which form the basis of HENN's ambition to rethink typologies and drive sustainable construction.

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Published on: October 20, 2026
Cite:
metalocus, ELVIRA PARÍS FERNÁNDEZ
"Merging with the sky. Kingdee Cloud Tower by HENN" METALOCUS. Accessed
<https://www.metalocus.es/en/news/merging-sky-kingdee-cloud-tower-henn> ISSN 1139-6415
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