Rising high from Africa's plains

Chinese firms are building some of the continent's skylines

Until the last few years, only a handful of well-known major African cities such as Johannesburg, Cairo, Lagos, Nairobi and Harare could boast high-rise skylines.

This has however changed, and skyscrapers are now sprouting in other major cities in Africa such as Tanzania's Dar es Salaam, the Ugandan capital Kampala; in Lome, the capital and largest city of Togo; and in Abidjan, the former political capital and now primary economic center of Cote d'Ivoire.

Johannesburg, the South African capital, has the largest number of high rises and for the past 30 years has been home to the continent's two tallest skyscrapers: Carlton Center and the Ponte City apartment building.

Designed by US architectural firm Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, Carlton Center stands at 223 meters and has 50 floors. Anglo American Properties constructed the iconic building between 1967 and 1973. The Skidmore firm is also behind the Burj Khalifa building in Dubai - the world's tallest at 828 m - and the 330 m China World Trade Center Tower III in Beijing. South African transport parastatal Transnet now owns the Carlton Center.

Construction work on the Ponte City apartment building was completed in 1975 and it stands at 173 m. The cylindrical, 54-story building is the second-tallest in Africa.

Other major African cities with skyscrapers of similar proportions include Cairo, Nairobi, Lagos, and Dar es Salaam. However, there are several other skyscrapers under construction in these cities which, when completed, will surpass some of the regional and continental towers. Others are at the initial proposal level while others are waiting for approvals from the relevant authorities.

The Hazina Trade Center under construction in Nairobi is expected to be the second-tallest building in Africa once completed next year. The skyscraper will tower over Nairobi at 180 m, making it the tallest building in Kenya after the Times Tower Building standing at 140 m. That building currently houses the country's exchequer, Kenya Revenue Authority.

Hazina Trade Center will feature roof garden terraces, a massive central atrium, a helipad on the roof and a public viewing gallery, as well as housing a high-end hotel. However, this status will not last long, as the Britam Tower building, under construction in Upper Hill, Nairobi's financial hub, is due to rise past it to 200 m by December 2015.

The tower, which will feature a collection of wind turbines hanging on a central spire, is projected to become the third tallest in Africa. The African Union Conference Center and Office Complex building in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, constructed by China State Construction Engineering Corporation, and funded by Beijing, is currently the tallest building in the northern African country. The towering building, whose construction materials were shipped from China, stands at 99 m high.

In 2011, the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation was behind the construction of Rwanda's tallest building, in the capital, Kigali. The 100 m-high Kigali City Tower is now widely viewed as a symbol of hope for the country brought to its knees by many years of bloody civil war.

However, all these buildings are likely to be eclipsed by a real giant, now approved for construction in the Ethiopian capital. Guangdong Chuan Hui Group recently announced plans for its 41,000 sq m Chuanhui International Tower, which will rise to 99 stories, or an eventual 448 m.

Floors 78 to 94 would be occupied by 217 five-star hotel rooms managed by the Park Hyatt Hotel group. The first 55 would be prime office space. There are also plans for a revolving, or at least rooftop, restaurant and lounge, which would allow a spectacular view of the ever-changing Addis skyline.

For China Daily

(China Daily Africa Weekly 09/26/2014 page8)