The world’s tallest abandoned skyscraper will restart construction after more than a decade of collecting dust—and curiosity.
Goldin Finance 117 rises out of Tianjin, a major Chinese port city about 140km south-east of Beijing.
Dubbed the “ghost tower” by locals and online, the 597m skyscraper became a magnet for urban explorers and vloggers after construction stalled in 2015.
Now, work on the long-abandoned project will restart.
A new construction permit has been issued and activity is likely to resume as early as this week, according to Chinese state media reports cited by CNN.
Completion is targeted for 2027, with the project now overseen by state-owned BGI Engineering Consultants.
Towering 117 storeys, the skyscraper was originally designed to house three office zones topped by a five-star hotel, according to architects P&T Group.
Its slender “walking stick” design features four mega-columns engineered to withstand strong winds and earthquakes, and a diamond-shaped crown designed for a swimming pool and observation deck.
The project broke ground in 2008 and topped out in 2015 before coming to a halt amid China’s stockmarket crash.
The developer, Hong Kong-based Goldin Properties Holdings, fell into financial difficulties, and the empire of founder Pan Sutong—once among Hong Kong’s richest men—collapsed into liquidation.
The new construction contract is valued at 569 million yuan ($A120 million), CNN reported.
According to Chinese state media, the new permit suggested the project may drop its original Goldin branding, though it remained unclear whether the original office and hotel plans would be retained.
During the decade-long hiatus, the unfinished tower became a landmark of a different kind.
Urban explorers and vloggers posted footage from inside the building, showing exposed concrete floors, skeletal lift shafts and the hollow crown where a luxury pool and viewing platform were planned.
The tower’s fate has also mirrored broader challenges in China’s real estate sector.
In 2020, China’s government said it had introduced regulations banning skyscrapers over 500m in an effort to rein in speculative highrise projects.
Analysts told media the resumption of Goldin Finance 117—along with Chengdu’s Greenland Tower—signalled a push by Beijing to boost confidence in the struggling property sector.
But the economic outlook for the project remains uncertain.
With commercial real estate demand across China reportedly still weak, experts questioned if Goldin Finance 117 would find enough tenants when it finally opened.
In the years since the project stalled, Tianjin continued building.
The 530m Tianjin CTF Finance Centre was completed nearby and now ranks as the world’s eighth-tallest building.
Upon completion, Goldin Finance 117 would become the sixth tallest globally, but it could slip to eighth if Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah Tower and Dubai’s Burj Azizi are finished later this decade.
