Construction on the world’s tallest unoccupied skyscraper is set to resume after nearly ten years of abandonment, Chinese state media have reported.
The 597-meter (1,959-foot) Goldin Finance 117 Tower in Tianjin, China—often dubbed the walking stick has stood unfinished since 2015 after financial troubles derailed the project. It is now expected to be completed by 2027.
Originally envisioned as China’s tallest building, the 117-story tower was designed to withstand strong winds and earthquakes through a system of mega columns. A diamond-shaped atrium housing an observation deck and rooftop swimming pool crowned the structure, which was to include offices and a five-star hotel.
Construction began in 2008 but halted seven years later amid the fallout of the 2015 Chinese stock market crash. Its developer, Goldin Properties Holdings founded by billionaire Pan Sutong has since gone into liquidation.
A new construction permit, reportedly valued at nearly 569 million yuan ($78 million), indicates the project is back on track, although it’s unclear whether the original design plans will be maintained. State-owned BGI Engineering Consultants is now listed on the permit, while the original developer’s name appears to have been removed.
Over the past decade, abandoned skyscrapers have become symbols of China’s troubled real estate sector. In 2020, Beijing issued guidelines banning the construction of buildings over 500 meters to limit speculative development.
The Goldin Tower isn’t alone in its revival. This week, the state-owned Greenland Group also announced the resumption of work on the long-stalled Chengdu Greenland Tower, a 468-meter skyscraper shelved in 2023 due to financial constraints.
According to Qiao Shitong, a professor at Duke University and expert in Chinese real estate, the twin project resumptions reflect Beijing’s push to stabilize the sector. “It is signaling to the market (it’s) not only about the skyscrapers themselves, he told CNN.
Architecture expert Fei Chen of the University of Liverpool noted that completing such projects is also about civic pride. “They don’t want a project to be unfinished and to stay like that, which is an eyesore for everyone,” she said.
However, Chen added that this resurgence does not mark a return to the era of vanity projects. The central government remains focused on sustainable development rather than status-driven construction booms.
Despite restrictions and economic concerns, China still leads globally in skyscraper construction. Of the 133 buildings over 200 meters completed worldwide in 2024, 91 were in China, according to the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat
