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NEW ZEALAND CENTRAL

Bringing New Zealand into central Shanghai

Workspace

Shanghai

2018

900sqm

Workspace

New Zealand Central in Xintandi, Shanghai, China. by hcreates

CLIENT

LEAD DESIGNER

Hannah Churchill

DESIGN TEAM

Elisa Chan, Celia Mahon-Heap

PHOTOGRAPHY

Brian Chua

The venue needed to support day-to-day business while transforming for product launches, seminars and events of more than 250 people. It also had to communicate a recognisable sense of New Zealand without becoming a collection of literal symbols, and connect professional functions with the warmth and ease of hospitality.

The plan is divided into two wings: a business side with offices, meeting rooms and hot desks, and an event-and-welcome side with a café, demonstration kitchen and flexible gathering space. A planted entrance combines New Zealand and Asian tree ferns before guests arrive upstairs to timber, stone and a custom chevron oak floor inspired by the Māori marae. Instead of a formal reception desk, a trained barista provides the first welcome at a green-stone counter referencing materials valued in both New Zealand and Chinese culture. Custom Rimu and Tawa tables, New Zealand lighting and contemporary artwork bring authenticity through design and craft. A vertically retractable wall connects the two wings for large events, while movable partitions and integrated technology allow the meeting spaces to change configuration.

The result is both a functional workplace and a platform for connection. Business, culture and hospitality sit naturally together, allowing New Zealand companies to work, host and present themselves in China within a space that feels warm, flexible and unmistakably their own.

EXPLORE MORE

ORAVIDA NEW ZEALAND PAVILION

ORAVIDA NEW ZEALAND PAVILION

Shanghai

Tourism New Zealand, China

Tourism New Zealand, China

Shanghai

Zespri, China Head Office

Zespri, China Head Office

Shanghai

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© 2026 hcreates
Shanghai · Hong Kong · New Zealand

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