Ground Broken for 111-Storey Pearl of the North Tower in Shenyang

Hostage

Construction began on Friday for the US$1.5 billion Pearl of the North skyscraper project in the northern China city of Shenyang.

As the latest entrant into what seems to be an intramural contest among Chinese cities to thrust supertall buildings into the sky, the Pearl will include two towers, one of 565m in height and the other of 328m, plus a number of more humble buildings.

Final completion of the project is slated for 2018.