XPENG Headquarters / Weico Architects

Architects: weico Architects
Area: 360,000 m²
Year: 2025
Photography: Arch-Exist
Manufacturers: Hubei Zhonggang Metal; Guangzhou Huatushi Building Materials
Lead Architects: Sun Wei
Landscape Design: Guangzhou S.P.I Design Co., Ltd.
Lighting Consultant: RDI Ruiguoji
Interior Design: CCD (Cheng Chung Design, Hong Kong)
General Contractor: China Construction First Group Corporation Ltd.
Design Team: Sun Wei, Sun Mingze, Wang Deyuan, Duan Yun, Sun Chen, Zhou Jingyi, Zhang Lining, Zhao Yue, Zeng Lingyue, Peng Shijie
Client: XPENG
Class A Design Institute: CAPOL International (Shenzhen) Guangzhou Branch
Façade Consultant: SuP Warner Engineering Consulting (Beijing) Co., Ltd.
City/Location: Guangzhou
Country: China

The new XPENG Headquarters in Guangzhou establishes a technology campus designed to support both the automotive and emerging flying vehicle divisions of the company. The development combines office, research, industrial, and public-facing programmatic elements within a 360000-square-meter complex intended to accommodate approximately 13,000 employees. Its architectural concept organizes two large office courtyards that rise in height toward the northern mountains, forming a fluid profile that reflects the brand’s emphasis on mobility and innovation. The project integrates advanced research and development spaces alongside areas for testing, assessment, and product demonstration, creating a consolidated ecosystem for operations. Rooftop photovoltaics, recreational zones, and landscaped outdoor areas contribute to a broader emphasis on sustainability and workplace well-being. By unifying diverse program requirements into one coordinated environment, the headquarters positions XPENG within a new paradigm of technology-driven urban campuses.

Rather than adopting the imposing industrial character traditionally associated with automotive campuses, the XPENG Headquarters introduces a visual language shaped by movement and adaptability. The architectural team, led by Sun Wei of weico Architects, sought to demonstrate how an office campus for a technology-driven manufacturer could depart from rigid typologies and instead convey a sense of continuous transition. This direction responds not only to the company’s role in electric mobility but also to its expansion into aerial vehicle development, prompting a built form that reflects the merging of multiple transportation futures.

Located within the Cencun area of Tianhe Intelligence City, the project occupies a prominent site shaped by urban density, transportation infrastructure, and mountain views. The massing strategy uses two expansive courtyards linked at the center, creating a cohesive structure that rises from south to north. This stepped configuration helps anchor the campus within its surroundings while offering a gradient of work environments that open toward distant landscapes. The building’s scale accommodates the operational needs of both XPENG Motors and AeroHT, forming a unified campus where research laboratories, engineering spaces, design studios, exhibition zones, and administrative functions coexist.

Programmatically, the headquarters moves beyond a conventional corporate workplace. The inclusion of specialized automotive engineering and testing facilities, interior and exterior styling assessment zones, and a comprehensive transportation system comparable to those found in airport complexes underscores its industrial capability. Supporting elements such as a flagship showroom, a shared conference center, and an outdoor landing area for flying vehicles reinforce the campus’s position as a broad technological platform rather than a single building entity. The integration of nearly 20,000 square meters of underground dining facilities further extends its self-sufficiency as a large-scale working environment.

The design also places emphasis on sustainable infrastructure, with photovoltaic arrays and landscaped terraces distributed across the rooftop. These areas host sports amenities and open gathering spaces that enhance employee experience while visually softening the expansive footprint. Water features and pedestrian circulation routes connect the campus to its urban context, offering a series of public-oriented edges that blur the distinction between internal operations and the surrounding district.

Managing the project’s technical and spatial complexity required close coordination between design and construction teams. CAPOL International supported the translation of the concept into detailed construction documents, ensuring that the distinctive massing and façade systems could be implemented at scale. The result is a multi-layered complex that combines secure industrial zones with transparent public interfaces, all within an architectural framework that reflects XPENG’s trajectory in intelligent mobility.

The completed headquarters represents a new generation of corporate campuses for technology manufacturers. By merging research, production, workplace, and experiential elements into a single integrated whole, it demonstrates how architectural design can express the evolving identity of companies operating at the intersection of transportation innovation and urban transformation.