Everything For Everyone

Shenzhen is the youngest megacity the world has ever seen. In 1979, it was little more than a sleepy fishing town of an estimated 30,000 people. But ever since former Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping thrust it into the spotlight by designating it a Special Economic Zone, Shenzhen has grown explosively.

A January 2016 Forbes article estimates that some 12 million people now call Shenzhen home, after the city’s population skyrocketed by a staggering 56% between 2000 and 2014.

To better serve the diverse needs of the city’s vast migrant population, CapitaLand is debuting Raffles City Shenzhen — a new lifestyle destination with retail, residential, office, commercial and hospitality components. The sprawling complex sits on one of the largest commercial sites available in Shenzhen, spanning 53,725sqm in size, with a gross floor area of 402,000sqm.

City in a city

Raffles City Shenzhen is CapitaLand’s eighth Raffles City development globally. Its lifestyle promise comes in the form of a massive complex housing a shopping mall, international Grade A office towers, Small Office Home Office (SOHO) units, luxury homes, and premium serviced residences. Conceptualised as a one-stop destination to live, work and play, Raffles City Shenzhen also offers excellent transport connectivity with integrated access to the city’s subway system.

Business savvy

Much of Shenzhen’s population boom comes from the city’s attractiveness as a business, financial and innovation hub. In 2014, it surpassed neighbouring Hong Kong to become China’s most competitive city in the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences ranking. Dethroning Hong Kong was quite a feat given that the former British colony had held top spot ever since it was included in the survey about a decade ago.

Shenzhen’s triumph over Hong Kong — and the other 292 Chinese cities surveyed — can be credited in part to its emphasis on innovation and technology. This has earned it a reputation as an incubator to start-ups and entrepreneurs as well as a magnet for established companies.

For the city’s thriving business community, Raffles City Shenzhen offers two distinct types of commercial space — SOHO units as well as international Grade A office towers. This is, in turn, well supported by an ecosystem of luxury homes for those who appreciate the convenience of living near their workplace, Ascott serviced residences for inbound business travellers, as well as retail outlets for leisure, dining and entertainment.

A green embrace

Shenzhen is a city of skyscrapers, their glistening facades stretching as far as the eye can see. In the Nanshan district, however, a municipal park spanning close to 100,000sqm offers welcome respite. Raffles City Shenzhen sits right beside this green oasis and pays homage to its surroundings with organic frontages and landscape features. Architecturally, it connects the urban fabric of the fast-paced city with the serenity of the public parkland.

The different elements of Raffles City Shenzhen are united by a focus on greenery, with lush landscaping, sky gardens and captivating park views throughout the development. For its efforts, Raffles City Shenzhen achieved various levels of LEED certification by the US Green Building Council for its different components.

Preparing to serve

Raffles City Shenzhen, first announced in 2010, is planned for a three-phase launch beginning this year. Phase 1, which is primarily commercial in nature, has been completed while Phase 2, comprising the shopping mall, serviced residences and Grade A office tower, is expected to be ready by 2017. Luxury residential units were released for sale in September 2015, and will form part of the third and final phase of the project.

CapitaLand is the major shareholder and lead development manager with a 58.3% stake in the project. To learn more, please visit www.rafflescity.com.cn .