With the global energy system undergoing a low-carbon transformation and China’s high-quality development strategy advancing in depth, coal mine design and construction are shifting from a focus on “high capacity” to “high quality, safety, intelligence, greenness, and sustainability.” Based on a systematic review of the evolution of coal mine design concepts in China and drawing upon more than seventy years of design experience from CCTEG Wuhan Design and Research Institute Co., Ltd., this study innovatively proposes the “6S” top-level design principle for modern coal mine engineering. Guided by top-level system thinking, the 6S framework emphasizes the integration of technology, economy, and ecology, and further establishes the coupling pathway between the 6S principles and the “ICIE” features of next-generation intelligent mines—Intelligent sensing, Carbon-low integration, Intrinsic safety, and Ecological harmony—forming a forward-looking paradigm for future coal mine construction. Through engineering practice analyses of two representative projects, Caojiatan Coal Mine and Xinjie No.1 Mine, the study verifies the remarkable effectiveness of the 6S concept in enhancing safety performance, optimizing systems, controlling investment, and advancing green and low-carbon development, thereby providing theoretical guidance and engineering demonstration for the high-quality development of the coal industry.