China bans construction of buildings taller than 1,640 feet after concerns over quality

After rising worries about the quality of some projects, China has banned the construction of the world's highest skyscrapers to guarantee public safety. The government's explicit ban encompasses buildings taller than 500 metres, according to the National Development and Reform Commission (1,640 feet). Local governments would also have to strictly regulate the construction of structures taller than 250 metres.

Buildings to be in accordance with the city

The Commission also stated that buildings taller than 100 metres must be built in accordance with the scale of the city in which they will be located, as well as the city's fire-fighting capability.

Quality issues and safety risks in some developments have been identified by the top economic planner as a result of lax control. After reports of unexplainable swaying, a 72-story tower in Shenzhen was halted for inspections, raising concerns about the stability of one of the city's highest structures.

The tremors at SEZ Plaza led the local authorities to launch an investigation. It also prompted a warning from the United States Consulate in Guangzhou, advising Americans to stay away from the area. People fleeing the buildings were captured on video and disseminated widely. 

The Chinese government already imposed an ‘in principle' ban on new skyscrapers taller than 500 metres in 2020. Only ten structures in the world reach that height, according to the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, five of them are in mainland China, including the 632-meter Shanghai Tower.

Some of China's tallest buildings

Chow Tai Fook Enterprise (CTF), Hong Kong's New World Development's private controlling shareholder, has developed and named two Chinese mega buildings. The 111-story Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre, which is 530 metres tall and ranks sixth in the world, is located in the Guandong provincial capital, having a joint position in the eastern Chinese seaport with its twin Tianjin CTF Finance Centre The Tianjin tower, which was completed in 2019, is the most recent addition to the list of the world's ten tallest structures.

China is planning at least 20 super buildings, six of which is supposed to be taller than 500 metres, with some set to open as early as 2022. The Goldin Finance 117 skyscraper in Tianjin, which was built by the debt-stricken Goldin Financial Holdings, which obtained a bailout from Hong Kong's richest man Li Ka-shing last July, is the tallest among them.