Africa’s tallest building The The Leonardo has opened its doors and is now ready for occupation, its developer has said.
Legacy Group announced Tuesday that the 240-suite hotel and residences were ready for occupation in the 234-metre tall building.
CEO & Chairman Bart Dorrestein said all the offices in The Leonardo are purchased and 90% of the apartments are sold.
“Our owners are scheduled to take occupation on a phased basis commencing March 2020,” he said.
Mr Dorrestein says that The Leonardo offer luxury residential units in the form of apartments and penthouse suites, as well as over 15,000 square metres of premium office space. It also houses a business and conference centre and other amenities, like a gym and spa, restaurants and a lifestyle and recreation zone.
Construction on the Leonardo began three years ago and some 2 000 workers are currently on site.It is scheduled to be completed by the second quarter of 2019.
Related:The female architects behind The Leonardo-Africa’s tallest building
The project suffered delays, however, which have become a source of conflict between Aveng and The Legacy Group. In January this year, the developer removed Aveng from The Leonardo contract, but the construction firm maintains that the building was “practically complete at the point of termination” and has taken the matter to the adjudicator.
The race for the sky continues in Africa with many countries planning mega skyscrapers.Kenya for example set to construct what it says would be the largest structure in Africa.
The Pinnacle Towers will be 900 ft tall and have 70 floors including a 45-floor Hilton Hotel, 20 floors of offices, 200 residential houses, 3-floor basement parking, gaming zone, 3-floor luxury mall, helipad and Africa’s highest viewing deck. But the project has been suspended due to a court case.
However its Dubai based developers say that upon completion, the project is expected to be one of the tallest in the world.
Dubai’s Burj Khalifa is the tallest at 800M, Malaysia’s Petronas Towers stands at about 400M which compares well with The Pinnacle’s 300M.
Morocco on the other hand says its BMCE Bank of Africa Tower in Rabat will be the tallest in Africa.
Standing 250 meters high, with 55 floors, and covering an area of 86,000 m2, its developers has billed it the tallest tower Africa. The tower will adopt of ecological and sustainable design concepts.
It will include offices, hotels and luxury apartments, according to the report. Such projects have put morocco top when it comes to investment destination of choice says a recent study by French Intermat Construction Observatory
Egypt is also planning the construction of two buildings which it says would be among the tallest in Africa; the Nile Tower and the Iconic Tower.
The Nile Tower has been designed to be a 70 storey building with fantastic view of the Nile, while the top floors gives one an opportunity to see the historical pyramids.
The Iconic Tower will stand 390 metre tall.