List of tallest buildings in South Africa

South Africa is the most structurally and economically developed nation on the African continent. As such, its major cities have experienced construction booms that most other cities of similar size in Africa have not. Advanced development is significantly localised around five areas: Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Durban, Bloemfontein and Pretoria/Johannesburg. Beyond these five economic centres, development is marginal and poverty is still prevalent despite government efforts. Consequently, the vast majority of South Africans are poor. However, key marginal areas have experienced rapid growth. Such areas include the Garden Route (Mossel Bay to Plettenberg Bay), Rustenburg area, Nelspruit area, Cape West Coast, and the KwaZulu-Natal North Coast.

Johannesburg, the economic capital of South Africa.
Cape Town, the oldest city in South Africa and an important economic centre.
Pretoria, executive capital of South Africa.
Durban, home of the busiest port in Africa and an important economic centre in South Africa.
Bloemfontein, The judicial capital of the South Africa
See also: List of tallest structures in South Africa

Tallest buildings
The Southern Life Centre.
Michelangelo Tower
Sandton
Sandton skyline

This list ranks South African buildings that stand at least 100 m (328 ft) tall, based on standard height measurement. This includes spires and architectural details.

Name Height (architectural) Floors Built City Notes
The Leonardo234 m (767 ft)552019JohannesburgTallest building in Africa since 2019
Carlton Centre223 m (732 ft)501973JohannesburgWas the tallest building in South Africa and on the Continent of Africa until 2019
Ponte City Apartments173 m (568 ft)541975JohannesburgTallest residential building in Africa.
SABC-South African Broadcasting Corporation160 m (520 ft)34Johannesburg
Marble Towers152 m (499 ft)321973Johannesburg
South African Reserve Bank Building150 m (490 ft)381988Pretoria[1] Tallest building in Pretoria
88 on Field146 m (479 ft)261985Durban[2] Tallest building in Durban Central.
Sandton City Office Tower141 m (463 ft)221973SandtonTopped out in 2014.
Michelangelo Towers140 m (460 ft)342005SandtonThe tallest hotel in South Africa.
ABSA Tower140 m (460 ft)321970Johannesburg
KwaDukuza eGoli Hotel Tower 1140 m (460 ft)401970Johannesburg[3] Mothballed since 1998
Trust Bank Building140 m (460 ft)311970Johannesburg[4]
Portside Tower139 m (456 ft)322014Cape Town[5] Tallest building in Cape Town.[6]
Standard Bank Centre139 m (456 ft)341968Johannesburg[7]
Southern Life Centre138 m (453 ft)301973Johannesburg[8]
Monte Blanc133 m (436 ft)401985Durban[9]
ABSA Tower Pretoria132 m (433 ft)381976Pretoria[10]
Old Mutual Centre130 m (430 ft)331995Durban[11]
UCS Building128 m (420 ft)291976Johannesburg[12]
1 Thibault Square127 m (417 ft)311972Cape Town[13]
The Spinnaker124 m (407 ft)272007Durban[14]
Kine Centre123 m (404 ft)271974Johannesburg[15]
Embassy Building120 m (390 ft)281991Durban[16]
Metlife Centre119 m (390 ft)281993Cape Town[17]
Atterbury House119 m (390 ft)291976Cape Town[18]
Carlton Hotel119 m (390 ft)301973Johannesburg[19] Mothballed since 1997
Pearl Breeze118 m (387 ft)252010Durban
Southern Sun Garden Court Marine Parade118 m (387 ft)281985Durban[20]
Southern Sun Garden Court North Beach118 m (387 ft)331978Durban[21]
ABSA Centre Cape Town117 m (384 ft)341970Cape Town[22]
Radiopark117 m (384 ft)301962Johannesburg
Civitas Building112 m (367 ft)311973Pretoria[22]
320 West Street111 m (364 ft)301973Durban[23]
Poyntons Centre110 m (360 ft)301968Pretoria[24]
Schlesinger Building110 m (360 ft)211965Johannesburg[25]
Golden Acre110 m (360 ft)281979Cape Town[26]
Protea Hotel Landmark Lodge110 m (360 ft)311976Durban[27]
The Palace110 m (360 ft)261986Durban[28]
Agricultural Union Centre110 m (360 ft)301968Pretoria[28]
John Ross House109 m (358 ft)331973Durban
Durban Bay House106 m (348 ft)321986Durban
Southern Sun Cape Sun105 m (344 ft)321982Cape Town[29]
Highpoint Hillbrow105 m (344 ft)251972Johannesburg[30]
Radisson Blu Hotel & Residence104 m (341 ft)261993Cape Town
Maluti104 m (341 ft)331984Durban
Transnet Tower103 m (338 ft)271973Durban
Pearl Sky102 m (335 ft)312010Durban
101 Victoria Embankment102 m (335 ft)381981Durban
Servamus House102 m (335 ft)251973Durban
Saambou Building102 m (335 ft)301951Pretoria
Western Cape Provincial Administration Building101 m (331 ft)261976Cape Town
Loch Logan Park100 m (330 ft)201983Bloemfontein
Bowmans Gilfillan Building100 m (330 ft)182017Sandton

Cities with the most skyscrapers

This table shows South African cities with at least one skyscraper over 100 metres in height, completed.

Rank City ≥100 m ≥150 m ≥200 m ≥250 m Total
1 Durban 18 1 – – 19
2 Johannesburg 13 2 2 – 17
3 Cape Town 9 – – – 9
4 Pretoria 6 1 – – 7
5 Sandton 2 – 1 – 3
6 Bloemfontein 2 – – – 2

Notable buildings in Johannesburg

Johannesburg features a variety of commercial and residential buildings, so there are also a few modern buildings such as the KwaDukuza eGoli Hotel and the Trust Bank Building. The Johannesburg-Pretoria combined metropolitan area has the densest concentration of skyscrapers on the continent and one of the densest in the world.

Carlton Centre is a skyscraper and shopping centre located in downtown Johannesburg, South Africa. At 223 metres (730 ft), it is the tallest building in Africa and about half the height of the Willis Tower (the former Sears Tower) in Chicago. It was the tallest building in the southern hemisphere when originally completed. The Carlton Centre has 50 floors, and is 223 m (732 ft) tall, about 40 m (130 ft) short of featuring in the world's top 100 skyscrapers. The foundations of the two buildings in the complex are 3.5 m (11 ft) in diameter and extend 20 m (66 ft) down to the bedrock, 30 m (98 ft) below street level. The building houses both offices and shops, and has over 46 per cent of the floor area below ground level. A viewing deck on the 50th floor offers views of Johannesburg and Pretoria.

Ponte City is a skyscraper in the Hillbrow neighborhood of Johannesburg, South Africa. It was built in 1975 to a height of 173 m (567.6 ft), making it the tallest residential skyscraper in Africa. The 54-story building is cylindrical, with an open center allowing additional light into the apartments. The center space is known as "the core" and rises above an uneven rock floor. Ponte City was an extremely desirable address for its views over all of Johannesburg and its surroundings. The sign on top of the building is the highest and largest sign in the southern hemisphere. It advertises the South African mobile phone company Vodacom.

Marble Towers is a skyscraper in the Central Business District of Johannesburg, South Africa. It was built in 1973 and is 32 storeys tall. The building has an eight-storey parking garage attached to it. It has the biggest electronic sign in the Southern Hemisphere, measuring 44 by 32 by 12 m (144 by 105 by 39 ft). It is made out of a mixture of concrete and marble. Its main use is for commercial offices.

KwaDukuza eGoli Hotel is a skyscraper in the Central Business District of Johannesburg, South Africa. The complex, built in 1970 originally as "The Tollman Towers" (owned by the prominent South African family), were two separate towers, one 40 stories and the other 22, linked by a four-story podium with a pool deck and a running track. The building was empty for many years as the hotel, The Johannesburg Sun, relocated to Sandton. The building was then converted to a Holiday Inn, which also quickly failed. The new KwaDukuza eGoli Hotel opened in 2001, when it hosted 3000 police officers for the world summit on sustainable development, it was owned Mark Whitehead of Whitehead Enterprises, then also soon went out of business. The building is "mothballed."

Sandton City is a shopping centre located in Sandton, Johannesburg that was built as pioneer centre in 1973. The tower was built as part of a business park for downtown Sandton, a suburb of Johannesburg. Liberty Properties announced in 2008 that Sandton City would receive a R1.77 billion upgrade. Liberty Properties Chief Executive Samuel Ogbo envisaged the complex as South Africa's very own Wall Street The redevelopment will include the construction of a 60-storey office tower, new retail and office space and residential apartments. The extension will stretch to 30,000 m2 (320,000 sq ft) and the total complex will have a gross lettable area of 158,000 m2 (1,700,000 sq ft).

Trust Bank Building is a skyscraper in the Central Business District of Johannesburg, South Africa. It was built in 1970 to a height of 140 metres (460 ft). The building is the former head office of Trust Bank of South Africa, and as such has one of the largest bank vaults in South Africa. The building was sold in February 2003 for Rand 6.4 million (USD $640.000), which may prompt the name to be changed to that of the new tenant.

11 Diagonal Street is a skyscraper in Johannesburg, South Africa. It was built in 1984 to a height of 80 metres (260 ft). It is designed to look like a diamond as it reflects different views of the Central Business District from each angle of the building.

Panoramic The central business district of Johannesburg.

Timeline of tallest buildings in South Africa

Timeline of tallest buildings over 100 m (330 ft). Includes all buildings. Excludes all demolished or destroyed buildings.

Name City Years as tallest Meters Feet Floors Photo
The Leonardo Sandton 2019-present 234 767 55
Carlton Centre Johannesburg 1973–2019 223 732 50
Marble Towers Johannesburg 1973-1973 152 499 32
KwaDukuza eGoli Hotel Tower 1 Johannesburg 1970-1973 140 460 40
Trust Bank Building Johannesburg 140 460 31
Standard Bank Centre Johannesburg 1968-1970 139 456 34
Radiopark Johannesburg 1962-1968 117 384 30
Saambou Building Pretoria 1961-1962 102 335 30

Tallest topped out, under construction, approved and proposed

This lists skyscrapers that are topped out, under construction, approved or proposed in South Africa, but are not yet completed structures as of April 2019.

Under construction, approved, and proposed

Name Height
m / ft		 Floors Year City Status
The Leonardo 234 metres (768 ft) 55 2019 / 20 Sandton Topped out
The Cullinan Square 192 metres (630 ft) 47 2022 Cape Town Proposed
zero2one 142 metres (466 ft) 46 2021 Cape Town Proposed
The Vogue 138 metres (453 ft) 38 2021 Cape Town Proposed
Northern Lights *132 metres (433 ft) 38 2021 Sandton Proposed
16 on Bree 118 metres (387 ft) 36 2020 Cape Town Under construction
Oceans Umhlanga Tower 1 125 metres (410 ft) 30 2020 Umhlanga Under construction
Oceans Umhlanga Tower 2 125 metres (410 ft) 30 2020 Umhlanga Under construction
The Modern 120 metres (390 ft) 32 2021 Cape Town Proposed
Radisson Blu Hotel 122 metres (400 ft) 25 2020 Umhlanga Under construction
Umhlanga Arch 28 2020 Umhlanga Under construction
The Halyard 92 metres (302 ft) 24 2019 Cape Town Under Construction
The Rubik 89 metres (292 ft) 27 2021 Cape Town Under Construction
35 Lower Long 86 metres (282 ft) 24 2020 Cape Town Under Construction
Harbour Arch #1 23 2021 Cape Town Approved
*Extremely rough estimate from CTBUH. This estimate may or may not be far from the actual height

and if it is lower than the criteria, it should not be removed from this list as it is not the actual height.

The actual height of this building has not been announced yet.

Tallest buildings that are visions that have not been canceled

This lists visions that are over 100 m (328 ft) tall and are not canceled.

Name Height Floors Year City
Durban Iconic Tower 370 metres (1,210 ft) 88 TBA Durban

See also

References
  1. "South African Reserve Bank Building, Pretoria - 103551 - EMPORIS". Emporis. Archived from the original on 2007-03-24.
  2. "88 on Field, Durban". Emporis. Archived from the original on 2019-10-31. Retrieved 2020-02-12.
  3. "Kwa Dukuza Egoli Hotel Tower 1, Johannesburg". Emporis. Archived from the original on 2007-02-10.
  4. "Trust Bank Building, Johannesburg". Emporis.
  5. "The Building". Portside. Archived from the original on 19 October 2014.CS1 maint: unfit url (link)
  6. "Cape Town's tallest building officially unveiled". Property 360. IOL Property. 15 August 2014. Archived from the original on 16 August 2014.
  7. "Standard Bank Centre, Johannesburg". SkyscraperPage.com. Archived from the original on 2012-03-12.
  8. "Southern Life Centre, Johannesburg". SkyscraperPage.com. Archived from the original on 2010-02-05.
  9. "Monte Blanc, Durban". SkyscraperPage.com. Archived from the original on 2010-02-05.
  10. "ABSA Tower, Pretoria". SkyscraperPage.com. Archived from the original on 2012-03-12.
  11. "Old Mutual Centre, Durban". SkyscraperPage.com. Archived from the original on 2010-02-05.
  12. "UCS Building, Johannesburg". SkyscraperPage.com. Archived from the original on 2010-02-05.
  13. "BP Centre, Cape Town". SkyscraperPage.com. Archived from the original on 2010-02-05.
  14. "The Spinnaker, Durban". SkyscraperPage.com. Archived from the original on 2010-02-05.
  15. "Kine Centre, Johannesburg". SkyscraperPage.com. Archived from the original on 2010-02-05.
  16. "Embassy Building, Durban". SkyscraperPage.com. Archived from the original on 2010-02-05.
  17. "Metlife Centre, Cape Town". Emporis.
  18. "Shell House, Cape Town". SkyscraperPage.com. Archived from the original on 2010-02-05.
  19. "Carlton Centre Hotel, Johannesburg". SkyscraperPage.com. Archived from the original on 2010-02-05.
  20. "Holiday Inn Durban - Marine Parade, Durban". SkyscraperPage.com. Archived from the original on 2010-02-05.
  21. "Holiday Inn Garden Court North Beach, Durban". SkyscraperPage.com. Archived from the original on 2010-02-05.
  22. "ABSA Centre Cape Town, Cape Town". SkyscraperPage.com. Archived from the original on 2010-02-05.
  23. "320 West Street, Durban". SkyscraperPage.com. Archived from the original on 2010-02-05.
  24. "Poyntons Centre, Pretoria". SkyscraperPage.com. Archived from the original on 2010-02-05.
  25. "Schlesinger Building, Johannesburg". SkyscraperPage.com. Archived from the original on 2010-02-05.
  26. "Golden Acre, Cape Town". SkyscraperPage.com. Archived from the original on 2010-02-05.
  27. "Protea Hotel Landmark Lodge, Durban". SkyscraperPage.com. Archived from the original on 2010-02-05.
  28. "The Parade, Durban". SkyscraperPage.com. Archived from the original on 2010-02-05.
  29. "Holiday Inn Cape Town, Cape Town". SkyscraperPage.com. Archived from the original on 2010-02-05.
  30. "Highpoint Hillbrow, Johannesburg". SkyscraperPage.com. Archived from the original on 2010-02-05.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.