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List of tallest buildings in South Africa

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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

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. 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.

Tallest buildings

The Southern Life Centre.
Michelangelo Towers
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 Leonardo 234 m (767 ft) 55 2019 Sandton Fourth tallest building in Africa and tallest in sub-Saharan Africa. The Leonardo was the tallest building on the continent for a brief period in April 2019.
Carlton Centre 223 m (732 ft) 50 1973 Johannesburg Fifth tallest building in Africa and second tallest in sub-Saharan Africa. The Carlton Centre was the tallest building in Africa for 46 years, from 1973 until 2019.
Ponte City Apartments 173 m (568 ft) 54 1975 Johannesburg Second-tallest residential building in Africa, and tallest in sub-Saharan Africa.
Marble Towers 152 m (499 ft) 32 1973 Johannesburg For a brief period in 1973, this was the tallest building in Africa. Marble Towers was the first building in South Africa to surpass the ancient and early mediaeval height of the Great Pyramid of Giza, Egypt (146.6 m (481 ft)).
Pearl Dawn 152 m (499 ft) 31 2010 Umhlanga Tallest building in Greater Durban
South African Reserve Bank Building 148 m (486 ft) 38 1988 Pretoria Tallest building in Pretoria
88 on Field 146 m (479 ft) 26 1985 Durban Tallest building in Durban Central.
Sandton City Office Tower 141 m (463 ft) 22 1973 Sandton Topped out in 2014.
Michelangelo Towers 140 m (460 ft) 34 2005 Sandton The tallest single-purpose hotel in South Africa.
ABSA Tower 140 m (460 ft) 32 1970 Johannesburg
KwaDukuza eGoli Hotel Tower 1 140 m (460 ft) 40 1970 Johannesburg Mothballed since 1998; under its previous name, the Johannesburg Sun Hotel, it was tied with the Trust Bank Building as the tallest building in Africa from 1970 to 1973.
Trust Bank Building 140 m (460 ft) 31 1970 Johannesburg The Trust Bank Building was tied with the Johannesburg Sun Hotel as the tallest building in Africa from 1970 to 1973.
Portside Tower 139 m (456 ft) 32 2014 Cape Town Tallest building in Cape Town.
Standard Bank Centre 139 m (456 ft) 34 1968 Johannesburg The Standard Bank Centre was the tallest building in Africa from 1968 to 1970. It was the first building in South Africa taller than the Great Pyramid of Giza (138.5 m (454 ft)), which had been the continent's tallest structure from its completion ca. 2600 BC until overtaken by Cairo Tower in 1961.
Southern Life Centre 138 m (453 ft) 30 1973 Johannesburg
Monte Blanc 133 m (436 ft) 40 1985 Durban
ABSA Tower Pretoria 132 m (433 ft) 38 1976 Pretoria
Old Mutual Centre 130 m (430 ft) 33 1995 Durban
UCS Building 128 m (420 ft) 29 1976 Johannesburg
1 Thibault Square 127 m (417 ft) 31 1972 Cape Town
The Spinnaker 124 m (407 ft) 27 2007 Durban
Kine Centre 123 m (404 ft) 27 1974 Johannesburg
Embassy Building 120 m (390 ft) 28 1991 Durban
Metlife Centre 119 m (390 ft) 28 1993 Cape Town
Atterbury House 119 m (390 ft) 29 1976 Cape Town
Carlton Hotel 119 m (390 ft) 30 1973 Johannesburg Mothballed since 1997
Southern Sun Garden Court Marine Parade (ex-Elangeni Hotel) 118 m (387 ft) 28 1985 Durban
Southern Sun Garden Court North Beach (ex-Maharani Hotel) 118 m (387 ft) 33 1978 Durban
ABSA Centre 117 m (384 ft) 34 1970 Cape Town
Radiopark 117 m (384 ft) 30 1972 Johannesburg
16 on Bree 118 m (387 ft) 36 2021 Cape Town
Civitas Building 112 m (367 ft) 31 1973 Pretoria
320 West Street 111 m (364 ft) 30 1973 Durban
Poyntons Centre 110 m (360 ft) 30 1968 Pretoria
Schlesinger Building 110 m (360 ft) 21 1965 Johannesburg The Schlesinger Building was the tallest building in Africa from 1965 to 1968.
Golden Acre 110 m (360 ft) 28 1979 Cape Town
Protea Hotel Landmark Lodge 110 m (360 ft) 31 1976 Durban
The Palace 110 m (360 ft) 26 1986 Durban
Agricultural Union Centre 110 m (360 ft) 30 1968 Pretoria
John Ross House 109 m (358 ft) 33 1973 Durban
Durban Bay House 106 m (348 ft) 32 1986 Durban
Southern Sun Cape Sun 105 m (344 ft) 32 1982 Cape Town
Highpoint Hillbrow 105 m (344 ft) 25 1972 Johannesburg
Pullman Hotel (ex-Radisson Blu Hotel & Residence) 104 m (341 ft) 26 1993 Cape Town
Maluti 104 m (341 ft) 33 1984 Durban
Transnet Tower 103 m (338 ft) 27 1973 Durban
Pearl Sky 102 m (335 ft) 31 2010 Durban
101 Victoria Embankment 102 m (335 ft) 38 1981 Durban
Servamus House 102 m (335 ft) 25 1973 Durban
Saambou Building 102 m (335 ft) 30 1974 Pretoria
Rissik Street Post Office 102 m (335 ft) 4 1897 Johannesburg The historical Rissik Street Post Office was the tallest building in Africa from 1897 until 1965.
Western Cape Provincial Administration Building 101 m (331 ft) 26 1976 Cape Town
Loch Logan Park 100 m (330 ft) 20 1983 Bloemfontein
Bowmans Gilfillan Building 100 m (330 ft) 18 2017 Sandton

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 19 1 – – 19
2 Johannesburg 13 2 2 – 17
3 Cape Town 10 – – – 10
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.

The Leonardo is a skyscaper in the prosperous northern suburb of Sandton. At 234 m, it is the fourth-tallest building in Africa and was the tallest building on the continent from mid-April 2019 until 29 April 2019, when it was surpassed by the Great Mosque of Algiers Tower in Algeria. It remains the tallest building in South Africa, and in sub-Saharan Africa.

Carlton Centre is a skyscraper and shopping centre located in downtown Johannesburg, South Africa. At 223 metres (730 ft), it was the tallest building in Africa for 46 years and stands at 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, and remains the fifth-tallest building in Africa and the second-tallest in sub-Saharan Africa. The Carlton Centre has 50 floors, and is 223 m (732 ft) tall. 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 m (320,000 sq ft) and the total complex will have a gross lettable area of 158,000 m (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.

Panorama of the central business district of Johannesburg.

Timeline of tallest buildings in South Africa

Timeline of the tallest buildings in South Africa. 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
Schlesinger Building Johannesburg 1965-1968 110 361 21
Rissik Street Post Office Johannesburg 1910-1962 102 335 4

Tallest topped out, under construction, approved, proposed and on hold

This lists skyscrapers that are topped out, under construction, on hold, approved or proposed in South Africa, but are not yet completed structures as of July 2020. This list only includes buildings of more or equal to 100 metres.

Name Height
m / ft 		Floors Year City Status
W Hotel & Residences 145 metres (476 ft) 36 TBC Cape Town Postponed
Northern Lights *132 metres (433 ft) 38 TBC Sandton Never Built
Oceans Umhlanga Tower 1 125 metres (410 ft) 30 TBC Umhlanga Under Construction
Oceans Umhlanga Tower 2 125 metres (410 ft) 30 TBC Umhlanga Under Construction
One on Bree 131 metres (430 ft) 40 TBC Cape Town Proposed
Radisson Blu Hotel 112 metres (367 ft) 28 2022 Umhlanga Complete
*Rough estimate from CTBUH. The actual height of this building has not been announced yet.

See also

Notes

  1. The Rissik Street Post Office was built in 1897, and was thus already standing when the Union of South Africa was first formed.

References

  1. "Pearl Dawn". The Skyscraper Center. Retrieved 25 March 2017.
  2. "South African Reserve Bank Building, Pretoria - 103551 - EMPORIS". Emporis. Archived from the original on 24 March 2007.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  3. "88 on Field, Durban". Emporis. Archived from the original on 31 October 2019. Retrieved 12 February 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  4. "Kwa Dukuza Egoli Hotel Tower 1, Johannesburg". Emporis. Archived from the original on 10 February 2007.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  5. "Trust Bank Building, Johannesburg". Emporis. Archived from the original on 6 December 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  6. "The Building". Portside. Archived from the original on 19 October 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  7. "Cape Town's tallest building officially unveiled". Property 360. IOL Property. 15 August 2014. Archived from the original on 16 August 2014.
  8. "Standard Bank Centre, Johannesburg". SkyscraperPage.com. Archived from the original on 12 March 2012.
  9. "Southern Life Centre, Johannesburg". SkyscraperPage.com. Archived from the original on 5 February 2010.
  10. "Monte Blanc, Durban". SkyscraperPage.com. Archived from the original on 5 February 2010.
  11. "ABSA Tower, Pretoria". SkyscraperPage.com. Archived from the original on 12 March 2012.
  12. "Old Mutual Centre, Durban". SkyscraperPage.com. Archived from the original on 5 February 2010.
  13. "UCS Building, Johannesburg". SkyscraperPage.com. Archived from the original on 5 February 2010.
  14. "BP Centre, Cape Town". SkyscraperPage.com. Archived from the original on 5 February 2010.
  15. "The Spinnaker, Durban". SkyscraperPage.com. Archived from the original on 5 February 2010.
  16. "Kine Centre, Johannesburg". SkyscraperPage.com. Archived from the original on 5 February 2010.
  17. "Embassy Building, Durban". SkyscraperPage.com. Archived from the original on 5 February 2010.
  18. "Metlife Centre, Cape Town". Emporis. Archived from the original on 30 July 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  19. "Shell House, Cape Town". SkyscraperPage.com. Archived from the original on 5 February 2010.
  20. "Carlton Centre Hotel, Johannesburg". SkyscraperPage.com. Archived from the original on 5 February 2010.
  21. "Holiday Inn Durban - Marine Parade, Durban". SkyscraperPage.com. Archived from the original on 5 February 2010.
  22. "Holiday Inn Garden Court North Beach, Durban". SkyscraperPage.com. Archived from the original on 5 February 2010.
  23. ^ "ABSA Centre Cape Town, Cape Town". SkyscraperPage.com. Archived from the original on 5 February 2010.
  24. "320 West Street, Durban". SkyscraperPage.com. Archived from the original on 5 February 2010.
  25. "Poyntons Centre, Pretoria". SkyscraperPage.com. Archived from the original on 5 February 2010.
  26. "Schlesinger Building, Johannesburg". SkyscraperPage.com. Archived from the original on 5 February 2010.
  27. "Golden Acre, Cape Town". SkyscraperPage.com. Archived from the original on 5 February 2010.
  28. "Protea Hotel Landmark Lodge, Durban". SkyscraperPage.com. Archived from the original on 5 February 2010.
  29. ^ "The Parade, Durban". SkyscraperPage.com. Archived from the original on 5 February 2010.
  30. "Holiday Inn Cape Town, Cape Town". SkyscraperPage.com. Archived from the original on 5 February 2010.
  31. "Highpoint Hillbrow, Johannesburg". SkyscraperPage.com. Archived from the original on 5 February 2010.
  32. "Saambou Bank Building - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
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