K11 unveils plans for new Shenzhen retail precinct

By

Benjamin Fitzgerald

Published
Jul 25, 2022

K11 Group this month announced plans for a new harbourfront complex in China's Shenzhen, as the New World Group-owned brand and retail developer continues to expand across mainland China.

Located in Prince Bay, Nanshan, Shenzhen (also known as the Greater Bay Area), the new 'K11 Ecoast' retail hub covers 228,500 square metres. It serves as K11’s first flagship project in the Chinese mainland to comprise of the K11 Art Mall, K11 HACC multi-purpose art space, K11 Atelier office building, and the 'Promenade', the company said in a press release.

"The inspiration for the name 'K11 Ecoast' combines the concept of green development alongside the conservation of waterfront resources," said the company. "The complex is dedicated to promoting a sustainable, circular lifestyle and integrated the concept of environmental protection through the power of creativity, culture, and innovation."

The K11 HACC multi-purpose art space will combine a variety of contemporary arts and creative culture to offer an exhibition and activity platform for artists, designers, and art organizations. So far, partnerships have been established with leading art and cultural institutions like MoMA PS1, the Centre Pompidou, the New Museum of Contemporary Art, and the Palais de Tokyo.

The K11 Art Mall embodies the company's 'art and commerce' business model, ​creating added value for businesses and promoting the development of local art and culture within a commercially defined space. 

It will feature artworks contributed by foreign artists in honor of Shenzhen’s culture, including public art pieces by two female sculptors--Phyllida Barlow from the UK and Monika Sosnowska from Poland.

"Integrating arts, commerce, and the circular economy, K11 Ecoast is destined to become a harbourfront cultural retail destination in the Greater Bay Area, pushing high-quality economic and social development and advocating for trendy, high-end consumption," the company added.

To build the retail-meets-arts hub, K11 will recruit some 50 artists and architects, including renowned UK architect David Chipperfiled, OMA which designed the CCTV Headquarters in Beijing, and leading Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto. 

Costing some US$1.4 billion, the new development is slated for completion at the end of 2024.