Tallest building unoccupied
Quem
Goldin Finance 117
Resultado
595.5 metre(s)
Onde
China (Tianjin)
Quando

The tallest unoccupied building is Goldin Finance 117, also known as the China 117 Tower, located in Tianjin, China. The 128-story skyscraper was topped out in September 2015 at a height of 595.5 m, making it then the world's fifth tallest building. The building's owner, Hong Kong-based developer Goldin Properties, ran into financial difficulties in the aftermath of the 12 June 2015 Chinese stock market crash and was forced to suspend work on the structure in December of that same year.


The construction of Goldin Finance 117 started on 18 August 2008. The building, as designed, was to be a remarkable piece of engineering, utilizing a complex system of "mega columns" and trusses to brace the building against strong winds and seismic activity. This system, designed by London-based engineering firm Arup – made it strong enough to meet China's strict skyscraper safety codes while being significantly more slender than these rules usually allow.

In addition to the broader economic currents that led to the company's financial woes, many have also questioned the economic viability of this particular development project. The Goldin Metropolitan Scheme would have relied on super-rich customers buying into a mixed-use luxury development on the outskirts of city that, while large and prosperous, has none of the global cachet of, for example, New York, Hong Kong or London.

In part motivated by high-profile failures such as the Goldin Finance 117, in April 2020, the Chinese government promulgated new urban planning regulations that effectively banned the construction of new buildings greater than 500 metres in height and heavily restricts construction on anything taller than 250 metres.