Johnson Controls Headquarters, Asia Pacific

Overview

Opportunity

Solution

Impact

Team

Johnson Controls combines energy-efficiency and smart technology in a high-performance headquarters that reflects the company’s values.

Location

Shanghai, China

Client

Johnson Controls

Expertise

[FPO] Built To Suit & Headquarters Climate Action & Sustainability Consumer Goods Brand Design [FPO] Architecture [FPO] Interior Design [FPO] Build To Suit [FPO] Headquarters

Opportunity

Johnson Controls needed an Asia Pacific headquarters that would express its sustainability leadership while supporting employees, engaging clients, and strengthening its regional presence.

As a leading provider of intelligent building technologies and energy-efficiency solutions, Johnson Controls wanted its Shanghai headquarters to reflect the values it promotes to clients. The project needed to combine ambitious environmental performance with employee well-being, workplace quality, and talent attraction. It also presented an opportunity to create a living showcase where visitors could experience Johnson Controls’ products and systems in operation. In a rapidly evolving service economy, the headquarters would demonstrate how smart technology, sustainable design, and human experience can reinforce one another.

Why This Matters

01
Designing Around Identity
The headquarters allows Johnson Controls to demonstrate the intelligent technologies, environmental performance, and people-centered design principles that define its business and corporate identity.
02
Investing in People
A progressive workplace supports employee comfort, social connection, productivity, and talent attraction and retention while reflecting Johnson Controls’ commitment to its people.
03
Engaging Clients
Interactive showcases, visible operating systems, and rooftop platforms allow clients to experience Johnson Controls’ technologies and sustainable building strategies directly within the headquarters.

Our Johnson Controls Asia Pacific Headquarters exemplifies Johnson Controls’ dedication to sustainable building practices and intelligent technologies, setting a new standard for the industry.

Solution

Gensler divides the linear program into two narrow wings connected by a central atrium, balancing workplace efficiency with a shared sense of community.

The narrow site and 24-meter-height limit required a design that could maximize workplace efficiency while bringing employees together. Two long rectangular wings create flexible floorplates with greater access to natural light and landscaped views. Bent in opposite directions and joined by a central atrium, the wings form a singular, connected headquarters. Open circulation and internal stairs surround the atrium, supporting visibility, physical movement, and interaction between business units. The lifted north wing also creates a public green passage connecting the site with Suzhou Creek.

From brief to build: integrating building well-being, energy-efficiency, intelligent technology, and enclosure design within high-performance headquarters.

The design team treated environmental performance and human well-being as interconnected goals. Social spaces, daylight, exterior views, terraces, and outdoor areas support employee connection and comfort. Narrow floorplates reduce reliance on artificial lighting, while high-performance façades balance transparency, insulation, solar control, and thermal comfort. Efficient mechanical systems, intelligent lighting and controls, energy storage, and renewable technologies further reduce operational demand. Together, these passive and active strategies allow architecture, engineering, and technology to operate as one coordinated high-performance system.

Shaping for Passive Performance

Massing studies shape two narrow wings to improve planning efficiency, daylight, exterior views, and passive performance across the linear site.

Impact

The headquarters turns Johnson Controls’ sustainability ambitions into a connected workplace, a living technology showcase, and independently verified environmental performance.

Employees gain a healthier, more connected workplace, while clients experience Johnson Controls’ intelligent building technologies within a high-performing operational headquarters.

What Changed Because of This

01
Workplace Experience
Daylight, views, shared amenities, internal stairs, and outdoor spaces support employee comfort, movement, interaction, and choice throughout the daily workday.
02
Environmental Performance
The headquarters delivers 44% energy savings and is China’s first building to achieve LEED Platinum, China Three-Star, and IFC–World Bank EDGE certifications.
03
Client Experience
Interactive showcases, visible operating systems, and rooftop viewing platforms allow clients to experience Johnson Controls’ technologies and sustainability strategies in action.

This headquarters sets a new standard for sustainable workplace design, bringing people, technology, and environmental performance together in one connected community.

Recognition

01

Metropolis Magazine

Gensler transforms Johnson Controls’ Asia Pacific headquarters into a sustainable showcase, integrating high-performance design with employee well-being and public green space.

Team

Project Leadership

Eric Gannon

Eric is a Principal and Studio Director in Gensler’s Chicago office, where he helps shape the future of work environments design through innovation, collaboration, and thought leadership.

Benjy Ward

Benjy is a Principal in Gensler’s Chicago office and a leader in the firm’s Entertainment practice. With more than 25 years of experience spanning mixed-use development, urban planning, workplace, hospitality, retail, and repositioning projects, he is recognized for creating transformative, city-shaping places.

Stephen Katz

As a Principal and Technical Director, Stephen leads pioneering enclosure strategies at the intersection of architecture, technology, and sustainability. His work spans global projects, and he regularly shares his expertise through international lectures and published research on façade design, intelligent building systems, and sustainable development.

FAQ

01

What is distinctive about Johnson Controls Headquarters, Asia Pacific?

The headquarters turns Johnson Controls’ sustainability and intelligent building expertise into an operating workplace that employees use and clients can experience firsthand.

02

What is the central design strategy for the headquarters?

Two narrow wings bend around a shared central atrium, creating a connected framework for daylight, workplace flexibility, community, and sustainable building performance.

03

How does the headquarters support employee well-being?

Daylight, exterior views, internal stairs, shared amenities, and outdoor spaces connect employees with nature, movement, and one another throughout the workday.

04

How does the building reduce energy demand?

A high-performance façade, efficient mechanical systems, underfloor air distribution, intelligent lighting, solar energy, and integrated controls work together to reduce energy demand.

05

What sustainability certifications did the project earn?

The headquarters earned LEED Platinum, China Green Building Design Label Three-Star, and IFC–World Bank EDGE certifications.

06

How does the headquarters showcase Johnson Controls’ technology?

Interactive displays, visible mechanical systems, a central plant viewing area, and rooftop platforms allow visitors to experience Johnson Controls’ technologies in operation.

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Related Expertise

Built to Suit & Headquarters Climate Action & Sustainability Consumer Goods Brand Design Architecture Interior Design Build To Suit Headquarters

Johnson Controls combines energy-efficiency and smart technology in a high-performance headquarters that reflects the company’s values.

Johnson Controls needed an Asia Pacific headquarters that would express its sustainability leadership while supporting employees, engaging clients, and strengthening its regional presence.

Why This Matters

Gensler divides the linear program into two narrow wings connected by a central atrium, balancing workplace efficiency with a shared sense of community.

From brief to build: integrating building well-being, energy-efficiency, intelligent technology, and enclosure design within high-performance headquarters.

The headquarters turns Johnson Controls’ sustainability ambitions into a connected workplace, a living technology showcase, and independently verified environmental performance.

What Changed Because of This