The original building's design called for a height of 729 metres (2,391.7 ft) with a total of 137 floors.

The building was planned for office space, high-end residential suites and a hotel, all served by 93 elevators.

[3] Construction was halted in 2015 and eventually abandoned in favor of a more realistic and shorter building.

Following a ban in China on the construction of buildings over 500 meters (1,641 feet) Suzhou Zhongnan Center was completely redesigned to fit a better use.

In mid 2022 when construction had reached ground level all work was halted due to the current financial difficulties the buildings owners, Zhongnan, was experiencing.