Africa to Build Tall

Record-setting Cairo building, coastal Kenya skyscraper are in the works.

Hadid-Designed Nile Tower in Cairo Would Be Continent’s Tallest

Developer Living in Interiors wants to build Nile Tower, a 70-story structure in Cairo designed by the late Zaha Hadid that would be the tallest in Africa and, ideally, signify the resurgence of Egypt as a great place to invest, Forbes reported. Despite a weakening Egyptian pound driving up the cost of construction, the developer is breaking ground because it believes “the construction sector is crucial to driving growth in the domestic economy and is key to the government’s plan for successful reforms.” Part of a larger plan to transform the area between downtown Cairo and the Nile into an upscale area, the structure would twist from a narrow base to a rectangular skyscraper that contains apartments on the top 36 floors with views of the river and pyramids, a hotel on the middle 18 floors and amenities and entertainment options below.

61-Story Mixed-Use Tower Envisioned on Kenyan Coast

If those behind the project can make it happen, the 61-story, 370-m-tall Palm Exotjca tower will be built in the tiny beachfront town of Watamu on Kenya’s Indian Ocean coast, The Exchange reported. The structure would house 180 serviced apartments with balconies boasting views of the ocean and tropical landscape. It would also have a casino, nightclub, convention center, theater, restaurants, a hotel and other amenities. Behind the project are veterinarian and neurosurgeon Dr. Guiseppe Moscarino and Oliver Nepomuceno, president of Swiss investment company Crystal Business S.A. Italian architect Lorenzo Pagnini is behind the design, distinguished by striking gray and black glass bands and a landscaped, rooftop helipad.