HIGH & DRY
China’s doomed abandoned skyscraper dubbed ‘The Walking Stick’ that’s twice as tall as The Shard but was never finished
It even had plans to be topped with a three-storey diamond-shaped atrium
A TALL skyscraper twice as high as The Shard has been left deserted in Northern China after a government ban.
Dubbed "The Walking Stick" because of the structural shape, Goldin Finance 117 would have been the fifth-tallest building in the world, if finished.
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The tower was topped out in 2015 at a height of 1,957 ft - and has 128 storeys above ground, with 117 of them planned to go for housing, hotel, and commercial space.
Construction of this ambitious project began in 2008, when cities across China were vying for their place on the world stage.
It was supposed to be the centrepiece of billionaire Pat Sutong’s “Goldin Metropolitan” scheme – a high-end residential and central business district near downtown Tianjin.
The scheme was aimed at the super-rich - with multiple residential and commercial towers, French and Italian style manors, a wine museum, extensive gardens, and even a polo club, on offer.
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Taking things even further, Goldin Finance 117 reportedly had plans to be topped with a three-storey diamond-shaped atrium.
It would have housed the world’s highest observation deck, swimming pool, restaurant and sky bar.
But these were records China never intended to hold, it seems.
Development of the project was first suspended in 2010 due to the fallout of the Great recession.
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Eventually, construction resumed again in 2011, but the project was dropped indefinitely after the Chinese communist regime put a ban on skyscrapers going beyond 1,640 ft.
With communication drying up in 2018 and no official word on the project, it has now become the "world's tallest ghostscraper" as it remains unfinished and unoccupied.
After a series of unfortunate events that led to the failure of what could be China's mark of pride, it was put up for sale.
However, it did not attract much attention and no attempt was made to resurrect it.
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