Goldin Finance 117, also known as China 117 Tower (

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...

: 中国117大厦), is an unfinished

skyscraper A skyscraper is a tall continuously habitable building having multiple floors. Modern sources currently define skyscrapers as being at least or in height, though there is no universally accepted definition. Skyscrapers are very tall high-ris ...

Xiqing District, Tianjin Xiqing District () is a district in Tianjin, People's Republic of China. History The current Xiqing area came into existence in the mid and late Tang dynasty. In Northern Song (Song dynasty) period, this area was the border of Song and Liao (Liao ...

, China. The tower was

topped out In building construction, topping out (sometimes referred to as topping off) is a builders' rite traditionally held when the last beam (or its equivalent) is placed atop a structure during its construction. Nowadays, the ceremony is often parlaye ...

in 2015 at a height of 597 m (1,959 ft). It has 128

storey A storey (British English) or story (American English) is any level part of a building with a floor that could be used by people (for living, work, storage, recreation, etc.). Plurals for the word are ''storeys'' (UK) and ''stories'' (US). T ...

s above ground, with 117 of them housing hotel and commercial space, which provides the source of the building’s name. Construction began in 2008 but was twice halted, and as of December 2022, it remains unfinished and unoccupied. Goldin Finance 117 and other failed skyscraper projects in China were responsible for the government banning construction of buildings over 500 metres (1,640 feet). If ever completed, Goldin Finance 117 will be China's last 500m+ tower for the foreseeable future.

Construction history

Construction of the skyscraper began in 2008 and was scheduled for completion in 2014. However, work was suspended in January 2010 due to the fallout of the

Great Recession The Great Recession was a period of marked general decline, i.e. a recession, observed in national economies globally that occurred from late 2007 into 2009. The scale and timing of the recession varied from country to country (see map). At ...

and eventually resumed in 2011 with the new estimated completion of 2018–2019. The building was topped out on 8 September 2015, making it the fifth-tallest building in the world at the time. It was originally meant to be the centerpiece in the Goldin Metropolitan Scheme, a mixed-use luxury development on the outskirts of Tianjin catering to the super-rich, although the economic viability of the project was questionable. The building's owner, Goldin Properties (a subsidiary of

Goldin Financial Holdings Ltd. Goldin Financial Holdings Ltd. ( () is an investment holding company based in Hong Kong. Pan Sutong is a controlling shareholder, the Chairman of the Board and an executive Director of the company. In 2019, the company sold a plot of undevelope ...

), ran into financial difficulties in the aftermath of the June

2015 Chinese stock market crash Fifteen or 15 may refer to: *15 (number), the natural number following 14 and preceding 16 *one of the years 15 BC, AD 15, 1915, 2015 Music * Fifteen (band), a punk rock band Albums * ''15'' (Buckcherry album), 2005 * ''15'' (Ani Lorak alb ...

and was forced to suspend construction in December 2015. As of December 2022, the building remains unfinished and unoccupied.

China State Construction Engineering Corporation The China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC) () is the largest construction company in the world by revenue and the 8th largest general contractor in terms of overseas sales, as of 2020. While most of the assets of CSCEC were flo ...

, the contractor of the project, removed all on-site workers and left it unfinished. It is currently certified by ''

Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

'' as the World's Tallest Unoccupied Building.

Design

Goldin Finance 117 is designed to resemble a

walking stick A walking stick or walking cane is a device used primarily to aid walking, provide postural stability or support, or assist in maintaining a good posture. Some designs also serve as a fashion accessory, or are used for self-defense. Walking sti ...

, and has that as its nickname. Earlier designs resembled the shape of a fin and a diamond. Goldin Finance 117 is planned to be the main tower of Tianjin Goldin Metropolitan, a

Central Business District A central business district (CBD) is the commercial and business centre of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides with the "city ...

funded by Goldin Properties and would be built nearby the Tianjin Goldin Metropolitan Polo Club.

Urban exploration

In 2015, two Russian and Chinese

urban explorer Urban exploration (often shortened as UE, urbex and sometimes known as roof and tunnel hacking) is the exploration of manmade structures, usually abandoned ruins or hidden components of the manmade environment. Photography and historical inte ...

s climbed the tower and the construction crane. In 2016, Russian couple Ivan Beerkus (Kuznetsov) and Angela Nikolau climbed the under-construction tower using stairs instead of the crane. Their video received over 880,000 views as of April 2020 and attracted worldwide media attention.

References

External links

* {{Supertall skyscrapers, under-construction Buildings and structures under construction in China 2015 establishments in China Skyscraper office buildings in Tianjin Residential skyscrapers in China Skyscraper hotels in Tianjin Skyscrapers in Tianjin Unfinished buildings and structures

Construction history

Design

Urban exploration

See also

References

External links