Huamao Center adds a major civic destination to the edge of Suzhou’s old town. Occupying 23.5 acres along the historic Shantang Canal, the project layers retail, office, and hospitality space into a human-scaled district rooted in the area’s history of water-based commerce, known for its classic Jiangnan water-town architectural style, with narrow lanes and stone-arch bridges. Completed over eight years with a phased opening, the project opened in December 2025.

The public realm—designed by SWA in collaboration with KPF and The Oval Partnership, with the CRLand MixC retail outdoor spaces designed by Lab D+H—guides visitors through a series of diagonal alleys framed by elevated walkways, floating light installations, and pitched rooflines. Throughout, over half of the brands represented are first-to-market, flagship, or concept stores catering to a range of tastes. Along Guangjinan Road, SWA also designed the forecourt and interior gardens for a new Ritz-Carlton location, with architecture by KPF, featuring a compact courtyard inspired by Suzhou’s classical gardens and an arrival sequence that preserves a centuries-old gingko in place.

The project also directly connects to the new H+ Art Museum by Tadao Ando and is within walking distance of Lion Grove Garden, a UNESCO World Heritage site dating to the Ming Dynasty, as well as many other destinations across the Gusu District. Functioning less as a standalone complex than as an extension of the city, Huamao Center aims to bring new construction closer to Suzhou’s established patterns of public space, movement, and everyday life.