Oppo Technology & Research Centre Tower / Gianni Botsford Architects + RJWu & Partner

Architects: Gianni Botsford Architects, RJWu & Partner
Area: 68,000 m²
Year: 2023
Photography: Shihao Xiao
Design Principal: Gianni Botsford
Project Leader: Hiroshi Takeyama
Design Team: Gianni Botsford, Anahi Copponex, James Eagle, Minghsuan Lo, Luigi Parise, Mike O’Hanlon, Liz Tatarintseva, Hiroshi Takeyama, Luka Travas
Structure Consultant: Zhejiang Huazhou Design Engineering Consulting Co., Ltd.
M&E Consultant: Zhejiang Huazhou Design Engineering Consulting Co., Ltd.
Façade & Scheme Design: CCAT/ LARGE Architects
Interior Consultant: B+H Consulting International Inc.
Lighting Consultant: InhabitGroup
Landscape Design: Belt Collins
Client: Guangdong OPPO Mobile Telecommunications Corp., Ltd.
City: Chengdu
Country: China

Oppo Technology & Research Centre Tower, designed by Gianni Botsford Architects and RJWu & Partners, is a 42-storey office building located in the Singapore Sichuan Hi-Tech Innovation Park, Chengdu. Completed in 2023, it serves as the regional headquarters for Oppo, providing a collaborative workspace for 5,000 engineers and support staff.

Oppo technology & research centre tower / gianni botsford architects + rjwu & partner

Won in competition in 2014, the Oppo Technology & Research Centre Tower for Chinese mobile phone manufacturer Oppo was designed by Gianni Botsford Architects in collaboration with RJWu & Partners. The 42-storey tower, located in the Singapore Sichuan Hi-Tech Innovation Park south of Chengdu, aims to be a focal point overlooking the new park. Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province, is the fifth largest city in China, with an urban population of over 15 million.

The tower houses up to 5,000 engineers and support staff, encouraging interaction and idea exchange among employees. It includes spaces for independent work, relaxation, training, galleries, food, and views of the park and city.

By introducing directionality within the masterplan, the vertical tower integrates with surrounding low-rise buildings, creating a relationship that provides focus and legibility. Conceived as a vertical village, the tower features voids and varying floor heights to promote collaboration, alternative circulation routes, and interaction spaces.

The design breaks down the tower’s large volume into smaller, human-scale volumes, shifted horizontally and vertically to achieve diversity in plan and skyline. This ensures high levels of daylight for all users, with typical floor plans benefiting from ‘rooms with a view’ staggered around the perimeter.

Self-similarity is applied to the façade, creating a dynamic, filigree effect while meeting the 30 percent solid façade regulation for new high-rise buildings. Each vertical volume of the tower visually dissolves into the sky, topped with a triple-height ‘lantern’ space providing openness and daylight to connecting floors.