Centurion Symbio-City to cost R18.2bn - Property24 (original) (raw)

Centurion Symbio-City in the City of Tshwane said to be Africa’s tallest building will be built at a cost of R18.2 billion and completed in 2018.

Centurion Symbio-City in the City of Tshwane said to be Africa’s tallest building will be built at a cost of R18.2 billion and completed in 2018. The tallest tower will reach 110 storeys and will be flanked by two towers of 80 and 60 floors. The total height of the tallest tower will be 447 metres.

The construction will take place through the creation of an African and global landmark incorporating the tallest building in Africa, consisting of two office towers and one residential tower, and will also include hotel and retail facilities.

Work is expected to start by the end of the year according to the City of Tshwane.

Tshwane, the largest metropole in South Africa and the third-largest municipality in the world, is home to 132 embassies and four universities.

According to Councillor Kgosientso Ramokgopa, Executive Mayor of the City of Tshwane, timing has never been more appropriate to leverage the economy that Tshwane is contributing towards South Africa’s growth.

He says that the tallest tower will reach 110 storeys and will be flanked by two towers of 80 and 60 floors. The total height of the tallest tower will be 447 metres.

The Symbio-City development will be built on and around Centurion Lake on 10 hectares of land.

“The location is between the Ben Schoeman Highway and the N1 Highway corridor and is adjacent to the Gautrain Station.”

Ramakgopa says it is an environment currently surrounded by businesses, offices and residential and commercial facilities.

This locality in Gauteng, which as a province is the fourth largest economy in Africa, has immense potential waiting to be unlocked, he points out.

Ramakgopa says Centurion can be transformed into a new economy because it has since developed as a separate city along axes and nodes in a lattice network.

“It is integrated with modern highways and activity axes along the developmental corridors between Johannesburg and Pretoria and between the primary airport in South Africa and Pretoria. Centurion now houses 320 000 inhabitants while the grid can accommodate many more.”

Tshwane, Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni are the extremities of the Golden Economic Triangle of Gauteng, he says.

Centurion is positioned within the development corridors linking these cities and thus it will be a major player in the proposed high intensity developments, which are destined to take place in the region.

He explains that Centurion has the inherent potential to develop further as a speciality city embodying the concepts of knowledge development, symbiosis, and creativity, as well as being green and environmentally near self-sustaining.

While Centurion is the natural site upon which Gauteng’s knowledge capital and hub of innovation to Africa can be built, the natural consequence hereof is a liveable, prosperous, competitive, equitable, accessible and sustainable city development, he says.

While Centurion is the natural site upon which Gauteng’s knowledge capital and hub of innovation to Africa can be built, the natural consequence hereof is a liveable, prosperous, competitive, equitable, accessible and sustainable city development, he says.

Ramokgopasays that the Symbio-City development will offer high quality living experiences in which people will want to live and invest.

“The development is a reflection of the range of economic opportunities, cultural experiences, safety and a quality physical environment that Tshwane offers.”

He notes that the availability of a variety of effective and efficiently provided public services, as well as affordable and green commuting options and amenities are all important factors in creating a high quality living experience.

The construction of this development will also assist towards job creation, by generating in excess of 10 000 jobs during construction and in excess of 4 000 sustainable jobs post construction, he says.

“With 57 percent of the local labour force in the area being involved in professional and related occupations, all suburbs in the trade area are predominantly middle-to-high income suburbs.”

The construction and development of Centurion Symbio-City will contribute towards a new chapter for the City of Tshwane, developing the city into a first class destination for both visitors and residents, adds Ramokgopa.