The automotive industry has long been a defining force in shaping modern society. Throughout history, the headquarters of leading automobile manufacturers have stood as architectural expressions of their time, reflecting not only technological progress but also broader economic and cultural ambitions. Rather than following the monumental language of the industrial era, XPENG Headquarters embraces a fluid and dynamic architectural form that reflects the emerging age of intelligent mobility.

Conceived as a “super connector”, the headquarters brings together mobility, technology, social interaction, and everyday life within a single architectural ecosystem. Rather than functioning solely as a workplace, it creates an environment where research, collaboration, testing, exhibition, and public engagement intersect seamlessly.

The podium of the main tower accommodates the headquarters campus’s primary social and internal service functions. Running through the entire building is a central “artery” resembling a city’s main boulevard, forming the north–south circulation spine of the complex. To maximize internal operational efficiency, four automated walkways are arranged along this axis, reducing the travel time through the corridor zones by two-thirds.

The unconventional insertion of automated walkways within the office environment gives the interior a spatial atmosphere reminiscent of a large airport terminal—an intentional metaphor for a company whose mobility vision extends across both ground and air.

From the perspective of the rapidly evolving AI and new-energy vehicle industries alone, it is clear that workplace environments must prioritize vitality, flexibility, and efficiency. During the early stages of the project, the architects visited numerous leading companies and conducted comparative studies of office layouts. Based on this research, the design proposes enhanced benchmarks for individual workspace area, the proportion and types of meeting rooms, meeting space per thousand employees, and restroom provision per thousand employees—exceeding both conventional design standards and typical industry practices.

The B1 level of the T2 main tower covers approximately 50,000 square meters. Apart from parking and mechanical spaces, most of the floor is dedicated to the company dining facilities, with dining areas alone totaling nearly 20,000 square meters. This vast cafeteria is capable of offering three meals a day, 365 days a year, without repeating menus. Since opening, it has quickly become a widely shared topic online, with visitors and employees alike eager to check in and share their experiences—earning it the nickname “the No.1 corporate cafeteria in South China.”

From the moment the campus was put into operation, it has needed to accommodate peak flows of more than 13,000 people. To handle this scale of movement, the architects introduced a large underground corridor linking the campus directly to Cencun Metro Station, which serves as the primary commuting route for employees. This passage also provides a direct connection between the T1 and T2 buildings across the roadway, allowing staff to reach the dining facilities or the main lobby of T2 conveniently via the underground level.

To avoid the dark and oppressive atmosphere often associated with large underground spaces, four sunken courtyards were introduced to bring natural light and ventilation into the interior. The dining areas are organized around these four courtyards, ensuring that people can enjoy sunlight and fresh air while dining. Food service lines are arranged around the seating areas in an interwoven layout, which both shortens the distance between seating and food counters and clearly differentiates various culinary zones.

The façades of the internal courtyards adopt a gradient mesh pattern developed through solar analysis, with integrated ventilators that maintain airflow without the visual disorder caused by open windows. Along the street edge, the transparent and lightweight façade treatment helps soften the visual impact of the complex’s large scale, expressing the open and forward-looking character of a technology-driven enterprise. By contrast, the courtyard façades present a more composed yet romantic language, conveying the sense of stability and trust associated with a leading company.

In response to the urban park located to the south, a series of multi-level green terraces are carved into the sloping fifth façade. Combined with photovoltaic panels integrated into the roofscape, these platforms enable renewable energy generation, rooftop greening, microclimate improvement, and the expansion of shared outdoor spaces—without occupying additional ground-level urban land. Together, these strategies represent an important approach toward low-carbon, sustainable, and inclusive design.