Ryugyong Hotel

Ryugyong Hotel
The Ryugyong Hotel in August 2011
Location within Pyongyang
General information
Status	Topped-out
Location	Pyongyang, North Korea
Coordinates	39°02′11″N 125°43′50″E / 39.03639°N 125.73056°E / 39.03639; 125.73056Coordinates: 39°02′11″N 125°43′50″E / 39.03639°N 125.73056°E / 39.03639; 125.73056
Construction started	1987
Topped-out	1992
Estimated completion	Unknown
Height
Roof	330.02 metres (1,082.7 ft)
Technical details
Floor count	105
Floor area	360,000 m2 (3,900,000 sq ft)
Design and construction
Architect	Baikdoosan Architects & Engineers
Developer	Orascom Group
Main contractor	Baikdoosan Architects & Engineers (1987–1992) Orascom Construction Industries (2008–present)
References

The Ryugyong Hotel (Chosŏn'gŭl: 류경려관; sometimes anglicised as Ryu-Gyong Hotel or Yu-Kyung Hotel) is an unfinished 105-story pyramid-shaped skyscraper in Pyongyang, North Korea. Its name ("capital of willows") is also one of the historical names for Pyongyang. The building is also known as the 105 Building, a reference to its number of floors. The building has been planned as a mixed-use development, which would include a hotel.

Construction began in 1987 but was halted in 1992 as North Korea entered a period of economic crisis after the fall of the Soviet Union. After 1992 the building stood topped out, but without any windows or interior fittings. In 2008 construction resumed, and the exterior was completed in 2011. It was planned to open the hotel in 2012, the centenary of Kim Il-sung's birth, but this did not happen. A partial opening was announced for 2013, but this was also cancelled. As of 2017^[update], the building remains unopened.

The Ryugyong Hotel is 330 metres (1,080 ft) tall, making it the most prominent feature of Pyongyang's skyline and by far the tallest structure in North Korea. Construction of the Ryugyong Hotel was intended to be completed in time for the 13th World Festival of Youth and Students in June 1989; had this been achieved, it would have held the title of world's tallest hotel. The unfinished building was not surpassed in height by any new hotel until the 2009 completion of the spire atop the Rose Tower in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The Ryugyong Hotel is the world's 63rd tallest building (tied with the China World Trade Center Tower III, Zhuhai St. Regis Hotel & Office Tower, and Yuexiu Fortune Center l) in terms of total height and has the tenth most floors. It is also the tallest unoccupied building in the world.