China’s Goldin Finance 117 skyscraper is now expected to be completed in 2027, nearly 18 years after work first started.
Construction on the Tianjin tower began on August 18, 2008, with plans for it to become one of the tallest skyscrapers ever built. Also called the China 117 Tower, the 128-storey structure reached its full height in September 2015 when its highest beam was installed, taking it to 595.5 meters.
That makes it close to three times the height of the Empire State Building and well over twice as tall as the Eiffel Tower. For comparison, One World Trade Center in New York stands at 541 meters.
Despite that progress, the project stalled after the Chinese stock market crash on June 12, 2015. Its owner, Hong Kong-based Goldin Properties, ran into financial trouble and had to stop the final phase of construction.
The unfinished building then stood empty in Tianjin, where it was dubbed a ‘ghost tower,’ and became the world’s tallest unoccupied building according to Guinness World Records.
Work restarted in April 2025, and the long-delayed skyscraper is now being pushed toward a 2027 finish, with completion expected in the first half of that year. In March 2026, workers began installing the distinctive 7.6-tonne diamond-shaped steel crown at the top of the building.
The tower has been compared to a ‘walking stick,’ with a shape far slimmer than what would normally satisfy China’s strict skyscraper safety standards. Guinness World Records says that is possible because of its ‘mega columns.’
Guinness World Records says the structural system was developed by London-based engineering firm Arup and explains, “The building, as designed, was to be a remarkable piece of engineering, utilizing a complex system of ‘mega columns’ and trusses to brace the building against strong winds and seismic activity.”
Inside, the tower is expected to contain office space and a five-star hotel on the upper floors. State media reported in March 2026 that 17 companies have signed agreements for space, including seven state-owned enterprises and 10 private firms.
Before work resumed, one of the biggest questions surrounding the project was the ‘economic viability’ of the development.
Guinness World Records notes, “The Goldin Metropolitan Scheme would have relied on super-rich customers buying into a mixed-use luxury development on the outskirts of city that, while large and prosperous, has none of the global cachet of, for example, New York, Hong Kong or London.”
The project was originally part of a larger master plan that included villas, a convention center, entertainment spaces, and a polo club. The fate of these surrounding developments remains unclear under the new construction permit, though state media has referenced “commercial corridors.”
When the project was revived last year, state-backed investors and a government-led restructuring effort argued that completing the tower could help support the wider property market. The Chinese government issued a construction permit valued at approximately $78 million to resume work.
If the current timeline holds, Goldin Finance 117 will be fully completed by 2027. Upon completion, it will rank as China’s third tallest building, behind Shanghai Tower and the Ping An Finance Centre in Shenzhen, and would be the world’s sixth tallest skyscraper. The project is also expected to be one of the last supertall developments of its kind in China, after new rules introduced in 2020 effectively banned the construction of buildings taller than 500 metres and placed heavy restrictions on those rising above 250 metres.