Features

The Iconic Tower

Fascinating details of Africa’s tallest structure.

Updated on

September 15, 2023

The topping out of the Iconic Tower Egypt in Cairo has added a new entrant to the fast-changing list of tallest buildings in Africa.

The 385-metre skyscraper that has been underway since May 2018 is one of the 20 towers that are being put up at the New Administrative Capital of Egypt.

The Iconic Tower, which topped out on August 24, 2021, is about half the height of Burj Khalifa – the world’s tallest building located in Dubai.

The building sits on an area of 65,000 square metres.

On completion, Iconic Tower will have 78 floors and two basements.

Floors 1-40 will be offices, with the next 10 floors being branded apartments, followed by 30 floors that are being finalized as part of a five-star hotel.

An observation deck will be set on the 74th floor to give visitors an aerial view of the New Administrative Capital from a height of at least 360 metres.

Pharaonic obelisk

The architectural design of the Iconic Tower is inspired by a pharaonic obelisk with a glass exterior representing the Egyptian god Raa Crown feathers.

China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC), one of the world’s biggest construction companies, is the main contractor for the project.

Dar al-Handasah Shair & Partners is the architect of record, while the Ministry of Housing, Utilities and Urban Communities of Egypt is the project owner.

$3.8 billion

The cost of building the Iconic Tower is yet to be made public.

However, the new capital where the tower is located is expected to cost about $3.8 billion – which is a loan from China, according to State officials.

“The budget for the 81-hectare district has now reached $3.85bn,” Khaled El Husseiny, spokesman for the project, recently told The National.

Although some offices and apartments will be handed over this year, the Iconic Tower and two hotels will only be fully completed in the first quarter of 2023.

When it opens to the public, the Icon Tower will officially become the tallest building in Africa – overtaking the 234-metre Leonardo in South Africa.