Zanzibar to build World’s tallest timber apartment tower
What you need to know:
The design of the mixed-use apartment and commercial building, in a playful beehive style with breathtaking ocean views, was unveiled to the public in Muscat, Oman on 1 October.
Unguja. Zanzibar could soon be home to the highest green building in the world, a 28-storey apartment tower designed in hybrid timber technology.
Christened Burj Zanzibar – “burj” meaning tower in Arabic – the r high-rise is designed to reach 96 metres in height representing an iconic landmark not only for the island but for the whole of Africa and a global environmental milestone, being the first timber structure worldwide of such proportions.
The design of the mixed-use apartment and commercial building, in a playful beehive style with breathtaking ocean views, was unveiled to the public in Muscat, Oman on 1 October.
Dutch-born architect Leander Moons, responsible for the concept, said: Burj Zanzibar is not just an outstanding building but a new ecosystem for the future of living.
A panoramic view of Fumba Town by CPS with Burj Zanzibar being seen at the far end
The residential tower with 266 residences is to be located in Fumba Town, East Africa’s pioneering eco-town developed by German-led engineering firm CPS.
Categorised as a strategic investment the growing city where foreigners are allowed to buy, stretches along a 1.5-kilometre seashore on the southwest coast.
“Burj Zanzibar will be the highlight and natural continuation of our efforts to provide sustainable housing in Africa, thereby empowering local employment and businesses”, said CPS CEO Sebastian Dietzold in Muscat.
With turquoise seas, white sandy beaches and a UNESCO-protected historic Stone Town, Zanzibar recorded 15 percent annual growth in tourism in recent years and 6.8 percent economic growth.
Earlier this year, the semi-autonomous archipelago, 35 kilometres off the coast of Tanzania, stretched its wings also into another direction, launching an initiative to attract African tech companies with a total worth of $6 billion dollars.
The elegant tower stands on a terraced podium with shared and private gardens , shops and a common pool. Sizes of units range from studios starting at $79,900 to a vast penthouse with a private pool on the 26th floor at $950,880.
“As a global architectural highlight the Burj Zanzibar will be setting a new benchmark of building in the 21st century”, CPS director Sebastian Dietzold concluded.
Once realised, Burj Zanzibar would be the highest timber building in the world and Africa’s first high-rise ever in this innovative technology.
A few weeks ago the 86.6-metre Ascent Tower in Milwaukee, US, was certified as the world’s tallest timber hybrid building by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH). Africa’s highest conventional skyscraper is a 385-metre office tower named “Iconic Tower” in Egypt, still under construction.
Tanzania’s top skyscraper is the 157-metre Ports Authority building in Dar es Salaam. The world’s tallest conventional building is Burj Khalifa in Dubai with 828 metres.
