Iconic Tower is a US$3bn 385.8 meters skyscraper that is being built as part of the Central Business District (CBD) in the New Administrative Capital (NAC), a large-scale project of a new capital city under development on 700 square kilometers of land located approximately 45 kilometers east of Cairo, the capital city of Egypt.
Upon completion, the iconic tower with have a total of 80 floors. The first 40 floors will be offices, 10 will be branded apartments and 30 will be part of a five-star hotel.
It is developed by the Egyptian Ministry of Housing and designed by Dar al-Handasah Shair & Partners, a privately-owned international multidisciplinary consulting organization in engineering, architecture, planning, environment, project and construction management, facilities management, and economics.
Construction is being undertaken by China State Construction Engineering Corporation(CSCEC). The project is a landmark for the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative(BRI) that seeks win-win development cooperation between participating states through economic and trade partnerships as well as infrastructure projects.
Project Timeline
2007
Design for the Iconic Tower officially started in 2007. The building comprised a unique design that sees its twist from a triangular base into a rectangular skyscraper. It is founded on an area of roughly 240,000 square meters.
May 2018
The construction of the Iconic Tower was officially launched in May 2018. The construction of the project was launched by the country’s Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly. The Iconic Tower is going up at a rate of one floor every six days or fewer with five thousand workers toiling on the project.
February 2019
In February 2019, a base of about 18,500 cubic concrete and 5000 tons of reinforced bars was poured.
Nov 2019
Egypt commence construction
Construction of the Iconic Tower in Egypt’s new administrative capital has begun. Housing Minister Asem al-Gazzar revealed the report and said that foundation works have commenced.
The Iconic Tower is one of several Dubai-style mega projects being built in the new administrative capital. The base of about 18,500 cubic concrete and 5000 tons of reinforced bars was poured in February.
December 2020
As of December 2020, 49 floors out of 80 (245 meters (804 ft) were reported to have already been completed.
Jun 2021
Iconic Tower Skyscraper-the tallest tower in Africa-topped off
The Iconic Tower Skyscraper that is being built in the New Administrative Capital (NAC) east of Cairo, Egypt, since May 2, 2018, has been topped off.
Speaking during the ceremony, the Egyptian Minister of Housing, Utilities, and Urban Communities, Essam el-Gazzar said that this is the most important building in modern Egypt, which marks the latest achievement of the North African country.
The construction of the Tower was officially launched in May 2018 by the North African country’s Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly with CSCEC as the project’s main contractor.
Following the civil works, construction of the tower’s core tube started in April 2019. Wei Jianxun, the general manager of the Iconic Tower project said that the core tube was constructed at the fastest speed of one floor every four days.
In late February this year, the Iconic Tower’s base, built with approximately 18,500 cubic meters of concrete and 5,000 tons of reinforced iron bars, was completed with a 38-hour non-stop operation, which was hailed by Mostafa Madbouly as “a miracle by all means.”
According to Ahmed Al-Banna, the project manager from Dar al-Handasah Shair & Partners, the construction of the tower to the top-off point took approximately 800 non-stop working days. On the other hand, Hossam Berry, the structural manager of the Dar supervision company, thanked the workers and engineers for working around the clock to reach this milestone.
Egypt completes phase 1 construction
The government of Egypt has announced the completion of phase one construction of the Iconic Tower the tallest tower in Africa. Egyptian Ministry of Housing said the CSCEC completed the concrete work at the 400-meter Iconic Tower.
June 2021
The lift supplier
The Iconic Tower has selected KONE Corporation to equip the tallest building in Africa. Thomas Hinnerskov, Executive Vice President for KONE South Europe, Middle East, and Africa confirmed the report and said the company won the tender to deliver and install 60 custom-made elevators and escalators for the Iconic Tower.
KONE’s delivery includes 36 KONE MiniSpace™ elevators, 13 KONE MonoSpace® elevators, seven KONE TranSys™ freight elevators, and four KONE TransitMaster™ 120 escalators, all with finishes specially designed for this building.
Smart technologies
In addition, the KONE Destination Control System will help reduce waiting and travel times and the KONE E-Link™ service will enable monitoring equipment performance in real-time, from a single location onsite. The contract also includes maintenance services.
“Iconic Tower will become a significant landmark not only in the New Administrative Capital but across Egypt and Africa. We are truly honored to provide our high-rise expertise and our people flow solutions for this development and together with our customers help the city set new standards for smart and sustainable buildings,” said Mr. Hinnerskov
