JD Beacon Rising in Nanjing: Ole Scheeren’s Octagonal Tech Tower Unveiled Ahead of Shanghai Debut

On September 24, 2024, the world’s architectural spotlight turns to Shanghai as Büro Ole Scheeren unveils three major projects at the World Design Cities Conference Shanghai—but the real buzz is about a tower rising in Nanjing. Dubbed JD Beacon, this octagonal super-tall tower isn’t just another office block. It’s the new regional headquarters and R&D hub for JD.com, China’s largest digital retailer, and it’s poised to redefine urban tech infrastructure in eastern China.

From Design Competition to Construction Reality

The story of JD Beacon begins not with a groundbreaking ceremony, but with a quiet win. On April 20, 2022, Büro Ole Scheeren was selected from an international field of 47 firms to design what was then known internally as ‘Nanjing Nexus.’ The brief? Create a landmark that blended innovation with cultural sensitivity—a tower that didn’t just house employees, but embodied the future of logistics-driven urban life. The octagonal form wasn’t just aesthetic; it’s structural, allowing for maximum natural light and wind resistance in Nanjing’s humid climate. Two years later, the design is finally seeing daylight, literally and figuratively.

Why now? The timing isn’t random. The firm’s September 24 presentation in Shanghai coincides with JD.com’s aggressive expansion of its physical footprint. Just months earlier, on July 9, 2024, Büro Ole Scheeren revealed the Scenic City project in Shenzhen—another JD.com headquarters, this one designed as a mixed-use campus. Both projects are part of a broader strategy: JD.com is moving beyond digital dominance to own the physical infrastructure of its supply chain. And they’re betting big on architecture as brand identity.

Two Towers, One Vision

Don’t confuse JD Beacon with Scenic City. They’re siblings, not twins. The Shenzhen project, recognized on October 1, 2024, at the World Architecture Festival China Shanghai, leans into green terraces and public plazas. JD Beacon in Nanjing? It’s vertical. It’s symbolic. At 380 meters, it’ll be one of the tallest buildings in the city, its octagonal silhouette echoing ancient Chinese pagodas while housing AI labs, robotics testing zones, and a 10,000-square-meter innovation center.

Architect Dan Cheong, who led the Nanjing design team, calls it “a beacon—not just for JD.com, but for the entire region’s tech ambitions.” Cheong, who also presented at the CTBUH 2024 China Conference in Qingdao in June, has become one of the firm’s most visible voices. He’ll be back in the spotlight on September 27, 2024, in Luzhou, presenting on winery architecture—a reminder that Büro Ole Scheeren’s vision extends far beyond corporate HQs.

Why This Matters Beyond Nanjing

China’s tech giants have long built data centers and warehouses. But HQs? Those were traditionally dull, glass-box affairs. JD.com is changing that. By investing in landmark architecture, they’re signaling that innovation isn’t just code—it’s environment. The JD Beacon isn’t just where engineers work; it’s where they’re inspired. The building’s design includes vertical gardens, sky bridges connecting towers, and a public observation deck on the 78th floor—open to residents, not just employees.

Experts say this trend is accelerating. “We’re seeing a new kind of corporate citizenship,” says Dr. Lin Wei, an urban planner at Tsinghua University. “Tech firms used to build in industrial parks. Now they’re anchoring urban renewal. JD Beacon isn’t just a tower—it’s a catalyst for transit upgrades, housing density, and even retail revival in the surrounding district.”

And it’s not just JD.com. Alibaba’s new Hangzhou campus, Tencent’s Shenzhen campus—all are following a similar playbook: architecture as culture. In Nanjing, a city known more for its history than its tech scene, JD Beacon could become the new symbol of its economic renaissance.

What Comes Next?

Construction on JD Beacon is expected to begin in early 2025, with completion targeted for late 2028. The firm has not yet released renderings of the interior, but insiders say the ground floor will feature a public innovation lab where local startups can prototype using JD’s logistics data. That’s not just good PR—it’s a strategic move to embed JD into the city’s DNA.

Meanwhile, Büro Ole Scheeren is already working on its next JD.com project: a logistics automation center in Chengdu, rumored to be shaped like a dragon’s spine. The firm’s founder, Ole Scheeren, who once led the design team at Rem Koolhaas’s OMA, has made a career out of turning corporate demands into cultural icons. From the Guardian Art Center in Beijing to JD Beacon in Nanjing, he’s proving that even the most utilitarian briefs can become poetry in concrete and steel.