What you need to know to work with Wanda

China’s £70bn Wanda Group will open 55 shopping malls and 18 hotels in that country alone this year, and has ambitious plans to target the rest of the world.

In the UK, the developer’s subsidiary Wanda One is behind plans for the £1bn KPF-designed One Nine Elms twin tower development in London, on which Balfour Beatty is providing pre-construction services.

British firms are now being offered the chance to work with the world’s biggest property company. Lai Jian Yan (pictured), vice-president of Wanda Commercial Properties explains how to win a place on its supplier database.

Building: Do you generally work with Chinese or western firms?

LJY: There is no preference for countries when Wanda looks for suppliers and contractors [Wanda refers to consultants and contractors as suppliers]. Wanda projects have covered most functions and uses in a city such as commercial, hotel, leisure, cultural, tourism, educational, office, sports and multi-industrial complexes.

What’s most important to you in how you select contractors?

This year, Wanda Commercial Property has moved towards “design full-suite consultancy” and “principal contractor” consultant tender methods. This means Wanda only appoints the lead design consultant (in the former case) or the principal contractor (in the latter) responsible for appointing and managing subcontractors. Suppliers will not be appointed if they fail to understand and use 6D-BIM.

When it comes to design, what architectural styles do you favour for your projects?

Wanda has different preferences for different building types.

Commercial architecture like shopping malls, offices and hotels must respond to the requirement of both the domestic and international market. International projects must respect local culture and aesthetics by celebrating colours and shapes, even to the degree of exaggeration. 

With cultural and tourism projects we are more inclined to emphasise visual effect so forms tend to be more entertaining and eye-catching. Wanda City complexes fall into this category.

With residential and offices we always look for high usage and rental yield. Form is generally simple and straightforward.

What could Chinese architects learn from UK architects, and vice versa?

Western and Oriental cultures understand the world in different ways. Chinese culture looks for the emptiness. We say: “Form and formlessness are integrated and complementary.” Chinese culture is subtle and moderate, encouraging spiritual connections between the built and space. Western art highlights form, colour and light. Architecture has a different philosophical meaning for the Chinese. For instance, the design ethos of a Chinese garden is to view the big from the small, appreciating the changing scenery while walking through. A western garden is more geometrical. Chinese and western architects need to study these differences in order to design suitable buildings in a different culture.

What are your procurement methods?

From 1 July all tender information has been announced online, in bulletins published monthly, quarterly and annually. All our registered suppliers are able to participate in the bidding process.

If a British firm wants to work with you, what is the best way for them to approach you?

We sincerely invite more British and international firms to apply. Please visit Wanda Group’s procurement platform (http://bit.ly/2bgzeQI).

We regularly review and approve registered suppliers. You can also find a service hotline (http://bit.ly/2bifEFz) on the website for any queries.