OMA’s Jomoo Headquarters in Xiamen: A Monumental Fusion of Nature and Innovation

The Jomoo Headquarters in Xiamen, designed by internationally acclaimed firm OMA, emerges as one of the most striking contemporary buildings in China. Rising 105 meters above the coastal city, the project is not simply a corporate office—it is a powerful architectural gesture that merges urban modernity with the natural terrain of Fujian province. Jomoo, a leader in sanitary ware innovation, sought a headquarters that would embody its brand values of technology, sustainability, and design leadership. OMA responded with a building that simultaneously evokes the precision of industry and the organic forms of mountains.

Located at the intersection of Xiamen’s dense business district and a green hill, the tower negotiates between two opposing conditions: the highly urbanized skyline on one side and the natural landscape on the other. The result is a design that is sculptural, functional, and symbolic. Its base, carved and articulated like a geological formation, anchors the building into the ground, while its sleek ceramic-clad façade expresses both durability and elegance. More than an office, the Jomoo Headquarters is a statement of corporate identity, cultural ambition, and architectural experimentation.

Architectural Concept and Design Logic

The design of the headquarters follows a dual logic: to represent Jomoo’s forward-looking technological innovation while harmonizing with its surrounding natural and urban contexts. The form of the building can be read as a mountain rising from the ground, reflecting traditional Chinese landscape painting motifs where natural formations embody resilience, stability, and timelessness.

OMA translated this philosophy into a building that combines rectilinear modernist lines with irregular sculptural voids. The carved-out base becomes a public interface, allowing circulation, gathering, and visual connection. The tower’s vertical profile remains disciplined, projecting corporate confidence, while the base introduces porosity and openness to the community.

Program Distribution

The Jomoo Headquarters accommodates a variety of programs that extend beyond the typical corporate office. It integrates research facilities, showrooms, conference halls, employee amenities, and public cultural spaces. This layering of functions reflects Jomoo’s ambition to blend business with culture and innovation.

Materiality and Construction

Material selection plays a vital role in the identity of the Jomoo Headquarters. OMA chose ceramic cladding for the façade, a deliberate nod to both Jomoo’s sanitary ware production and the material’s durability and elegance. The façade reflects light differently throughout the day, shifting from glossy reflections under the sun to a more subtle sheen during twilight.

Spatial Experience

The headquarters is designed as an experiential journey. Entering through the carved base, visitors encounter a dramatic contrast between raw, stone-like surfaces and smooth, modern finishes. This spatial duality embodies the project’s balance between nature and technology. The showrooms are arranged to provide immersive product demonstrations, while research floors promote transparency and innovation through open-plan layouts. Higher office levels offer panoramic views of Xiamen, reinforcing the company’s position as both grounded in tradition and oriented toward the future.

Sustainability and Innovation

Beyond aesthetics, the project emphasizes environmental performance. The ceramic façade enhances thermal insulation, while deep-set windows reduce solar gain. Green terraces at the base provide natural cooling and improve biodiversity. Rainwater harvesting systems, energy-efficient lighting, and advanced HVAC systems reflect Jomoo’s corporate commitment to ecological responsibility. By integrating these strategies, the headquarters becomes not only a symbol of innovation but also a model of sustainable corporate architecture in China.

Timeline and Key Milestones

Architectural Analysis

The Jomoo Headquarters demonstrates OMA’s mastery in balancing corporate identity with contextual sensitivity. Its verticality asserts Jomoo’s global presence, while the mountain-like base ties the project to Chinese cultural symbolism. The building is both object and landscape, both high-tech and timeless. By blurring these binaries, OMA establishes the headquarters as an architectural landmark with both aesthetic power and cultural resonance.

Project Importance

The significance of the Jomoo Headquarters extends beyond corporate branding. It is a statement about how architecture can merge industry with culture, urbanity with nature, and sustainability with innovation. For Xiamen, the project enriches the city’s architectural identity, marking a new chapter in its urban development. For Jomoo, it is a home that embodies its ambitions, values, and future trajectory.

Conclusion

OMA’s Jomoo Headquarters in Xiamen is more than just a corporate tower—it is a fusion of natural inspiration, material innovation, and architectural vision. By carving a mountain-like base, cladding the façade in ceramic, and integrating a diverse program, the building reflects the duality of tradition and progress. Its importance lies not only in its form but also in its message: that architecture can bridge the divide between technology and culture, city and landscape, business and humanity.

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