China prohibits construction of skyscrapers over safety concerns

09 Jul 2021 CW Team

China has banned the construction of the world's tallest skyscrapers, citing growing concerns about their safety and quality.

All future skyscrapers in Beijing will be limited to a maximum height of 500m.

The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), the management agency under the State Council, has declared that buildings taller than 500m will be prohibited from being built.

Furthermore, structures taller than 250m will be limited, while structures taller than 100m will be evaluated for their fire-rescue capacity.

NDRC has issued the order due to concerns about construction safety as well as an oversupply of commercial offices.

The order comes two months after the 72-storey SEG Plaza in Shenzhen, China's southern city, wobbled for an unknown reason, triggering a hasty evacuation and causing chaos in the surrounding streets.

With a height of 300m, SEG Plaza is one of Shenzhen's tallest skyscrapers, housing a large electronics market as well as numerous offices.

Parts of the structure were seen swaying back and forth in a few videos posted to social media.

According to the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, China is home to 44 of the 100 tallest buildings in the world, including five of the top ten 500m structures.

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Also read: SEG Plaza in China wobbles, causes panic in downtown Shenzhen

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