Chengdu 489-Metre Tower Held to 372.6 Metres by Aviation Height Limit

A screenshot of a document from the supertall tower project department of China Overseas Jialong Chengdu Real Estate has circulated online in recent days. The document shows the project department writing to China Construction Eighth Engineering Division and China Construction Steel Structure, among others, to confirm a temporary height cap on the tower's construction.

The letter states that the company has completed all planning approvals for the tower project, obtained the construction project planning permit and the construction drawing review certificate as required, secured construction funding, met all requirements for construction, and submitted the application materials for the construction permit for floors above 78. Affected by aviation height restrictions, the project has not yet obtained the construction permit for floors above 78. Until the height restriction is lifted and that permit is obtained, construction height must comply with the scope of the existing permit for floors 1 to 78, namely from plus or minus zero to 372.6 metres, exclusive; structural and steel structure construction must not exceed 372.6 metres.

In a reply to an inquiry through the Chengdu municipal government's 12345 mailbox, the Tianfu New Area park city bureau said verification showed the project's planned building height is 489 metres, that claims the project height has been lowered to 372 metres are untrue, and that the planned height has not been adjusted. The reply also said subsequent approvals and construction progress are subject to official announcements.

The China Overseas Tianfu Centre supertall tower project is located in Chengdu's Tianfu New Area. In 2017, China Overseas acquired a 299-mu plot for RMB 4.79 billion, with an initial planned height of 677 metres. In 2020, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development and the National Development and Reform Commission issued a notice on further strengthening urban and architectural landscape management, stating that buildings above 500 metres generally may not be newly built, and the project height was ultimately set at 489 metres. At the site of the China Overseas Tianfu Centre 489 supertall tower, tower cranes are hoisting construction materials, construction elevators are running up and down, dust-suppression sprayers on the hoarding are continuously emitting water mist, and construction noise can be heard. The site remains under construction.