Mixed reports and Chinese media attacks on the Sky City skyscraper shows China skyscraper politics and how afraid competitors are of Broad Group success with factory mass production and the economic impact

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There is a lot of politics around the China Broad Group factory mass produced skyscraper. If Broad Group succeeds with the successful construction of an over 200 story skyscraper at about 30% lower cost than other competitors in China, then Broad Group will have a lot of momentum towards their goal of gaining over 30% of the world commercial building market. This would mean getting over 50% of the China commercial building market. This is why the attacks on the China Broad Group skyscraper have been so intense and why there are powerful opponents trying to delay the project with regulatory approval barriers.

There are mixed reports from China and Hong Kong as to whether all approvals are in place for the Broad Group 202 (or 208 story according to the South China Morning Post) story Sky City skyscraper.

[SCMP] Sky City, a 208-storey skyscraper in Changsha, the capital of Hunan province, aims to be the world’s tallest building when it is completed in April 2014. At 838 metres, it is expected to be 10 metres taller than the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. Developer Broad Group held a groundbreaking ceremony on July 20, 2013. The building is slated to open in May or June 2014.

Broad Group spokeswoman Zhu Linfang disputed a Xinhua report that the company’s plan to build the world’s tallest building in just seven months had not received approval from Hunan’s Department of Housing and Urban-Rural Development.

The Xinhua report noted that no work was taking place at the site of the 838-metre Sky City following a ground-breaking ceremony on Saturday, raising doubts about whether the project could be completed by April.

“We have obtained all necessary government approval as the project progressed from one stage to another. Everything we do is legal and approved by the government,” Zhu said, adding that the company expected the state news agency to “correct its mistake”.

As of last night, Xinhua had not amended its report, which also quoted anonymous sources from Hunan University as saying that the project had not undergone vigorous safety and environmental assessments.

Mainland media organisations were overwhelmingly hostile to the Sky City project, which was widely derided as a wasteful “face project” and part of what was described as the mainland’s rush to build skyscrapers. The project’s design using factory-made modules did, however, win some support from architects.

The Xiaoxiang Morning Post, a newspaper based in Changsha, yesterday removed a report from its website saying that the project had been suspended by local authorities due to a lack of proper paperwork.

“We have not received any notification or hint by the government that the project has been or would be suspended,” Zhu said. “Everything is going on as planned. This is a very large and serious project. We couldn’t have proceeded so far without approval and backing from the city and provincial authorities.”

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