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China bans super skyscrapers, putting a ceiling over new buildings that exceed 500 metres, citing safety concerns

  • Buildings taller than 500 metres (1,640 feet) will no longer be approved, according to the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC)
  • Towers over 250 metres must be limited, while buildings taller than 100 metres must match the scale and fire rescue capacity of their locations

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Tips of the Shanghai Tower (left) and the Shanghai World Financial Centre peek above the fog cover in June 2020. Photo: VCG
Sandy Li

China, home to almost half of the world’s 100 tallest buildings, has banned the construction of super skyscrapers amid fears that the race to push skyward over the past three decades may have compromised building safety and led to a glut of office space.

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New buildings taller than 500 metres (1,640 feet) will no longer be approved, while towers exceeding 250 metres must be strictly limited, and structures taller than 100 metres must strictly match the scale and the fire rescue capacity of their locations, according to an order issued late on Tuesday by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), the country’s top planning agency.

The order, two months after the unexplained wobbling of the 72-storey SEG Plaza in Shenzhen, would halt – at least for the time being – the construction boom that has led to mainland China being home to five of the world’s 10 tallest 500-metre structures, all completed in the past six years. Still, the ceiling may not have much impact on the commercial property market, as the most popular floor plates lie somewhere between 180 and 200 metres, said Knight Frank’s research director Martin Wong.

“Companies look for location, quality and whether their buildings are energy efficient and sustainable, not merely for heights,” Wong said, adding that developers in mainland China began to change their strategies and mindsets for sustainability about five years ago.

China is home to 44 of the world's 100 tallest buildings. Source: The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat
China is home to 44 of the world's 100 tallest buildings. Source: The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat
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The proliferation of super skyscrapers correlate to high vacancy rates, as developers vie to find tenants to fill their space.

“The taller the buildings the smaller the floor plate per floor,” said Wong. “Most commercial buildings are between 180 and 200 metres, as that height provides the optimal floor plate to attract tenants, especially those that are involved in new-economy or hi-tech industries, the sectors that are expanding the fastest right now.”

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