The world’s tallest unoccupied building to resume construction — after a decade-long shutdown

China’s “walking stick” skyscraper now has some new legs. 

Construction on the Goldin Finance 117 tower in Tianjin is set to resume after 10 years, CNN Style reported.

Progress on the 1,959-foot-tall tower — making it the tallest unoccupied building in the world — stalled after the Chinese stock market crash of 2015. Now, a new construction permit means that this “ghost tower” can progress towards a projected completion date of 2027.

Chinese state media announced last week that construction of the 117-story tower, aptly nicknamed “China 117,” could resume, CNN Style reported.

Daring urban explorers have flocked to the imposing structure over the past decade, chronicling their death-defying climbs in viral videos, including Russian couple Angela Nikolau and Ivan Kuznetsov in 2016.

The skyscraper, which broke ground in 2008, was constructed with a system of “mega columns” to brace it against strong winds and earthquakes. The impressively lean tower was designed to host three office zones and a five-star hotel on the upper floors, according to architects P&T Group. A diamond-shaped atrium containing a pool and an observation deck will top the building.

Goldin Properties Holdings, the Hong Kong-based real estate developer behind the site, has since gone into liquidation, CNN reported.

The edifice was originally destined to be the centerpiece of a larger, mixed-use development catering to the upper echelons of the northern port city. CNN Style reported that the wider development scheme for attractions like a convention center and a polo club remains uncertain, but the new permit reportedly nods to “commercial corridors.” 

The resumption of construction on both the Goldin Finance 117 Tower and the Chengdu Greenland Tower — a 1,535-foot skyscraper that has been on hold since 2023 — coincides with frequent headlines about China’s abandoned skylines and ghost cites.

“The national government has made it clear it wants to stabilize the real estate market,” said Qiao Shitong, a law professor at Duke University School of Law and expert on Chinese real estate, told CNN Style.