A massive 597-foot-tall skyscraper was once meant to be a luxury building, but instead it lies abandoned and has become an eerie ghost tower. Intended to transform the Tianjin skyline in northern China, construction on Goldin Finance 117 began in 2008.
Now famous for being the world’s tallest unfinished and unoccupied building, construction on the building was halted in 2010. Work on the project was resumed in 2011, however by September 2015, construction was once again suspended and no work has taken place since. Despite grand plans, it was indefinitely halted in 2020. According to SkyscraperCity Forum, the budget for the building was $820m dollars (£654m) which soared to $1.2bn (£957m) once the shopping centre at its base was included.
The Guinness World Records said: “The building’s owner, Hong Kong-based developer Goldin Properties, ran into financial difficulties in the aftermath of the June 12, 2015 Chinese stock market crash and was forced to suspend work on the structure in December of that same year.
“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.”
The visionary behind the Goldin Finance 117 project was Hong Kong-born billionaire Pat Sutong who had plans to transform downtown Tianjin in Northern China into an exclusive residential and business district.
Aimed at the super-rich, it would have had a wine museum, extensive gardens, and even a polo club, on offer.
The ambitious skyscraper was supposed to have 128 floors above ground, 117 of which were planned as hotel and commercial space and 11 floors were to be dedicated to mechanical and operational services, as well as four underground levels.
It was reportedly set to house the world’s highest observation deck, swimming pool, restaurant, and sky offering astonishing views topped with a diamond-shaped atrium. If completed, Goldin Finance 117 would have been the fifth tallest building in the world.
The skyscraper holds the title of being the world’s tallest abandoned building and is the equivalent to nearly two London Shard buildings stacked on top of each other.
In hopes of resurrection by other real estate giants the building has been put for sale, however, it did not attract much attention and no attempts were made to continue construction.
It remains unknown as to whether the skyscraper will be demolished or whether it will remain an eeiry ghost tower.