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.






















