I'm very skeptical about this one but thought it was worth it to mention it. If not for it possibly being built then to laugh at the second skyscraper proposal in Centurion to fail.

Sorry but the article is in Afrikaans

Centurion kry ‘hoogste gebou in Afrika’
2012-04-24 22:16
Cobus Claassen

Een van die hoogste wolkekrabbers ter wêreld word vir Centurion beplan.

Centurion kan teen 2018 selfs met die twee hoogste geboue in Afrika spog.

Die Tshwane-metro het planne om as deel van ’n ultramoderne ontwikkeling by die Centurionmeer ’n gebou van ongeveer 470 m (110 verdiepings) hoog op te rig.

Twee ander torings van onderskeidelik ongeveer 336 m (80 verdiepings) en sowat 210 m (60 verdiepings) sal as die Centurion Towers deel uitmaak van Tshwane se ambisieuse Symbio City-ontwikkeling.

Al drie sal in die meer gebou word.

Die 470 m-toring, wat merendeels uit kantore sal bestaan, beteken dat Suid-Afrika ’n gebou tussen die tien top-wolkekrabbers ter wêreld sal hê.

Dié gebou sal selfs hoër wees as die Em*pire State-gebou (381 m, 102 verdiepings) in New York. Twee van die torings sal die hoogste geboue in Afrika wees.

Die Carlton-sentrum in Johannesburg is op 223 m tans die hoogste gebou in Afrika. Dit het 50 verdiepings.

Tshwane het gister op sy handel-en-infrastruktuur-beleggingskonferensie in Pretoria lig gewerp op die projek.

Die bou van Tshwane se konferensiesentrum (TICC) op die oop stuk grond aangrensend aan die Centurion Mall is deel van die ontwikkeling.

Tshwane het gesê bouwerk aan die TICC-kompleks kan voor einde vanjaar begin.

Dit sal ’n konferensiesentrum van 30 000 m², minstens drie hotelle, winkels, kantoorruimte van tot 150 000 m² en luukse wooneenhede insluit.

Volgens Tshwane is ’n swaargewig- ontwikkelingskonsortium met Siemens Suid-Afrika as strategiese vennoot reeds in gesprek met voornemende beleggers.

Tshwane se burgemeesterskomitee het die konsepontwikkelingsplan in beginsel goedgekeur, maar dit het nog nie voor die raad gedien nie.

Bouwerk aan die torings kan teen 2018 voltooi word.



Artists impressions:

http://cdn.24.co.za/files/Cms/General/d/1884/bb7f4d2955cc47c980a5f69cdf71f963.jpg

http://cdn.24.co.za/files/Cms/General/d/1884/546ab92a5f414d8e822868656bb2e842.jpg

Thanks to JohanSA for telling me about this :)

A quick Google search showed this website with two more renders:

http://www.yellowbox.co.za/img/cms/Centurionday_1.jpg

http://www.yellowbox.co.za/img/cms/centurion_night_1.jpg

http://www.yellowbox.co.za/content/4-about-yellow-box

Architects are @126group. More renders of the project can be found here:

http://www.126group.com/j-126-high.htm

http://www.126group.com/images/high/08.jpg

At least we now have a super tall project even if its a pie in the sky lol ;)

At least we have pie ;)

Go SA! ;) Hope it gets built.

The tallest tower in the middle looks awkward and a bit ugly.

I doubt it's gonna happen anyways.:lol:

Is that the Centurion Gautrain station?

Well atleast Centurionites can now join the Sandtonites in dreaming

It looks great! :cheers:

Random! But I like.

Is that the Centurion Gautrain station?

Well atleast Centurionites can now join the Sandtonites in dreaming

Yeah, it's located in the middle of the lake between the mall and Gautrain Station.

impossible! lol

Looks decent(ish), but yeah complete pie in the sky... also if they were to get approvals to build something that tall and did start buidling something, it seems to be an enormous waste of the space to have 3 smallish towers like that.

dolomite area as well. Very unlikely that they can go ahead.
1. Economy.
2. Density: The tallest building in Centurion is not even 10 floors.
3. Dolomite: One of the main challenges for the Gautrain during construction, and less than 1km away from this site Centurion is dealing with a massive sinkhole in Jean Ave.

What the area has going for it?
Accessiblity.

And that is about it. There are many better places to go ahead with this. Interesting to have it all in the middle of the lake (that is not really a lake anymore). And they seem to have a monorail from the Gautrain station to the towers.

Pie. In the face.

Oh, the biggest question mark behind this article? It is in Beeld. Beeld newspaper is to journalism what Harvey Comics are to prize-winning literature.

pie in sky. someone fucking around at lunch break

dolomite area as well. Very unlikely that they can go ahead.
1. Economy.
2. Density: The tallest building in Centurion is not even 10 floors.
3. Dolomite: One of the main challenges for the Gautrain during construction, and less than 1km away from this site Centurion is dealing with a massive sinkhole in Jean Ave.

What the area has going for it?
Accessiblity.

And that is about it. There are many better places to go ahead with this. Interesting to have it all in the middle of the lake (that is not really a lake anymore). And they seem to have a monorail from the Gautrain station to the towers.

Pie. In the face.

The City of Tshwane compiled an extensive regional and spacial development framework for Region 4 (Centurion) It's a pretty long read but they mentioned the concerns about dolomite in the area and touched on a few key aspects on developing Centurion as an integrated urban node. Even though I myself think this is too good to be true (and by 2018 no less :nuts:) it's pretty interesting nonetheless.

Skip to Part 3

http://www.tshwane.gov.za/AboutTshwane/CityManagement/CityDepartments/City%20Planning,%20Development%20and%20Regional%20Services/Draft%20RSDF%202012/RSDF%20Region%204%20March%202012.pdf

omg, someone's been playing simcity too much :lol: And Centurion, for real?

Imagine they pull it off..... But maybe it's not a bad idea to start a second high density node in Petoors.... But then maybe with buildings a bit more realistic in height.

I don't get it what will this building be used for if it gets built. Are there big enough tenants in south Africa (joburg/Pretoria area) to fill this thing or they just make it a mixed use building of everything you can possibly fit into a building.

seems like someones university project... why build high in centurion when they love tuscan sprawl so much? will damage the "italian" image :)

If this is not a pie-in-the-sky proposal, I wish it would have been proposed for the Joburg downtown, Sandton, or even Pretoria's downtown, where there's other highrise density. If this ever gets off the ground, it's going to look odd having three massive towers with nothing higher than 5-10 floors around them for miles around. While it may eventually encourage a cluster of highrises around this development, that's only likely to be way down the line.

Here's some media coverage in English...

------------

Monday May 28, 2012

Africa's tallest building proposed for Centurion Lake

An estimated R17 billion has been budgeted for the construction of what could be the tallest building in Africa. The Centurion Symbio-City project is expected to be completed in 2018 and will be constructed on the site of the current Centurion Lake.

http://www.iolproperty.co.za/roller/news/resource/cent_tower.jpg
An artist's impression of the Symbio-City project.

It is expected that the project will topple the Carlton Centre in Joburg's CBD from its position as the tallest in Africa.

The project's three towers were designed by 126Group Architects, with the tallest reaching 110 storeys which will be flanked by two towers of 80 and 60 floors respectively.

The total height of the building will be 447m, as opposed to the Carlton Centre's 223m height.

Briefing delegates to the Tshwane International Trade and Infrastructure Investment Conference at the Centurion Aerospace Village yesterday, engineer Roger Warren, said the project was "well thought out".

"We did not wake up today and think about the project. We went and studied modern cities," he said.

Warren said Centurion was developing as a corporate destination with about 318 companies in the area dealing with hitech equipment.

According to Warren, people migrate to better facilities, adding that the project would include hotel and retail facilities. Warren said 10 910 jobs would be created during the construction phase, and 4 804 when the project is completed.

He said the Hennops River would flow underneath the building through a tunnel.

The Centurion Lake, which has been a source of unhappiness among business people, Warren said, would be turned into a swimming pool.

He said they were aware that Centurion was a dolomitic area and they had devised a plan to tackle the problem.

"We will anchor the building about 43m into the ground," he said.

Warren said they had partnered with the Tshwane Metro Council for the project.

According to Tshwane's executive mayor Kgosientso Ramokgopa "timing has never been more appropriate to leverage the economy that Tshwane is contributing towards South Africa's growth".

Ramokgopa said the location of the project - between the Ben Schoeman highway and the N1 highway corridor - was an environment currently surrounded by businesses, offices, 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 said, adding that the development would offer a high-quality living experience in which people would want to invest.

He said: "The development is a reflection of the range of economic opportunities, cultural experiences, safety, and quality physical environment that Tshwane offers."

He said the availability of a variety of effective and efficiently-provided public services, as well as affordable and green commuting options and amenities were 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 said.

According to Ramokgopa, Tshwane, Joburg and Ekurhuleni are the extremities of the golden economic triangle of Gauteng.

"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.

"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," he said.

Pretoria News Weekend


Posted at 08:45AM May 28, 2012 by Editor in Cities and Towns


http://www.iolproperty.co.za/roller/news/entry/africa_s_tallest_building_proposed

^^ build a high rise in the area no problem, but the heights they are talking are the heights one goes for when land is at a total premium and it is only more feasible to go up. Centurion does not have that problem

...The Centurion Lake, which has been a source of unhappiness among business people, Warren said, would be turned into a swimming pool...

Lol what? :lol:

If this is not a pie-in-the-sky proposal, I wish it would have been proposed for the Joburg downtown, Sandton, or even Pretoria's downtown, where there's other highrise density. If this ever gets off the ground, it's going to look odd having three massive towers with nothing higher than 5-10 floors around them for miles around. While it may eventually encourage a cluster of highrises around this development, that's only likely to be way down the line.

http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk88/DJY15/Masterplan1.jpg

http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk88/DJY15/Masterplan2.jpg

http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk88/DJY15/Masterplan3-1.jpg

http://www.tshwane.gov.za/AboutTshwane/CityManagement/CityDepartments/City%20Planning,%20Development%20and%20Regional%20Services/Draft%20RSDF%202012/RSDF%20Region%204%20March%202012.pdf

I will take a 400 meter plus tower anywhere - this is not a bad location at all. Nothing wrong with starting something new, especially with the Gautrain station and the mall integrated into the design. DO IT!!!

shows that reality is not something people in SSC like to believe in

shows that reality is not something people in SSC like to believe in

It's a form of escapism from Tuscantopia :yes:

Well...this idea has been around for years, langusihing in pipe dream territory.

Now suddenly the architects are updating their website and newspapers are reporting that this is happening.

So lets just see, hey Dysan?
Wouldn't it be nice if this 'reality' thing you are on about turns out to just a foundation to build dreams on!

Well...this idea has been around for years, langusihing in pipe dream territory.

Now suddenly the architects are updating their website and newspapers are reporting that this is happening.

So lets just see, hey Dysan?
Wouldn't it be nice if this 'reality' thing you are on about turns out to just a foundation to build dreams on!

Do you know which website?

^ http://www.126group.com/

Wow, some people...

Idiot - how is this to be funded - a building on this scale will require Billions - not with my tax rands. And what of the dolomite issue - another f-up waiting to happen. You mention progress - buildings like this will attract more pimps,whores and drug dealers.

:crazy:

Centurion businesses up in arms over possible effect of 447m-high development
TUESDAY MAY 29, 2012

News of the planned Centurion sky scraper - planned to be the tallest in Africa and the 14th tallest freestanding structure in the world - has sent waves of confusion and unhappiness across the suburb's business community, which is worried about the effect it will have on their ventures.

http://www.iolproperty.co.za/roller/news/resource/Cent_tower.jpg
Centurion Lake is the proposed site for Centurion Symbio-city, which will feature the tallest building in Africa.

Centurion Symbio-city, as it will be known, will feature the tallest building in Africa and will have one residential and two office towers. In addition to this, Tshwane mayor Kgosientso Ramokgopa said last week, it would include hotels, retail facilities and a convention centre.

The tallest tower in the mini-city will be 110 storeys high and will be flanked by two towers of 80 and 60 floors each. The height of the tallest tower will be 447m and it will be linked to the convention centre by an underground walkway.

Work on the multimillion-rand project was expected to start before the end of the year, council sources said yesterday, and the project could take anything up to eight years to complete.

Businesses around the Centurion lakeside mall, where it is expected to be built, said Centurion was going through an economic slump and would not be able to handle the influx a project of this nature could bring. "That we will be rid of the problems with Centurion Lake is good news and so is the fact that we will have conferencing facilities in our business area, but that we have no less that 4 000m² of vacant office space in Centurion presents another problem," said the chairman of the Centurion Business Chamber, Gerhard Marais.

The question, he said, was where business to occupy the buildings would come from. "They will either be attracted from outside or they will move from existing space." This, he said, would further cripple the economy.

Centurion was not ready to handle a project of this nature, businesspeople said. That the project was situated within 50m of two hotels - Centurion Lake Hotel, to the east, and Protea Hotel, to the west, also defied business sense, they added.

The lack of consultation on the matter was a sore point, with the hotels and restaurants situated on the lake saying that the first time

Nthey had heard about the project was in the media. "We were never consulted," Centurion Lake Hotel chief executive Andrew van Hasselt said. The hotel had been built around the lake's existence and, managers of eateries on the mall's lakeside said, they were paying dearly for the prime space they occupied.

"We spent a lot of money on renovations to our deck to ensure customers have the perfect view. We are worried that this will stop existing," Cappuccinos spokesman said.

His sentiment was shared by other restaurant managers who said the lack of information only confused and scared people and could drive their customers away.

Capital City Business Chamber chief executive Fanie du Plessis applauded the city for bringing a project that could accommodate conventions of the nature that Sandton City could, saying it was important for the city not to lose such events to Midrand's Gallagher Estate. .Business people in the city did, however, deserve to be consulted.

International money was coming in for the development, which would change the face of the Centurion CBD. The roads system and infrastructure are set to be upgraded and the project, the Pretoria News was told yesterday, is at least five or so years in discussions and consultations. The revelation of the plans last week were a mere formality.

Said one metro official: "It's a huge project. It's massive and by the end of the year, heavy trucks will be rushing to and fro, disrupting the normal flow of business - from public transport to people travelling to and from work and people going about their leisure business and those going shopping, yet no one, not even the residents of Centurion, has been given a chance to discuss it, absorb it and prepare for it."

But Ramokgopa said last week the development was a reflection of the range of economic opportunities, cultural experiences, safety and a quality physical environment that Tshwane offers. He said it would create jobs - more than 10 000 during construction and 4 000 afterwards.

Pretoria News

Souce: IOL Property (http://www.iolproperty.co.za/roller/news/entry/centurion_businesses_up_in_arms)

I CANT BELIEVE THIS IS REALLY HAPPENING?!?!!?

^ http://www.126group.com/

Wow, some people...

:crazy:

Where is this quote from COMMENT that you posted? Can't find it earlier in the thread?

^ Comments section of the moneyweb article. I should know by now that those places are best avoided.

http://www.moneyweb.co.za/mw/view/mw/en/page292525?oid=570963&sn=2009+Detail&pid=287226

Oh...ja, those comment sections...

But yes so...this really looks like it may happen. Where is SA boy...and was this the secret building he was saying nothing about?

I think that's in Sandton :)

I'll believe it when they actually start construction

:banana::banana:


Someone should create a proposal thread in the supertall section. The other African proposed tower in Sudan was closed after fierce arguments. :lol:

Ya.... Construction starting at year end? About 10 prime high rise sites in Sandton vacant due to lack of tenants but this will go ahead?

I will literally eat a hat if a 110 storey building starts construction in Centurion by year end.

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?p=91871763#post91871763

^ Now if it doesn't go through Centurion will be even more of a fail than after the Lakeview towers got cancelled. :laugh:

Hey you guys brought this on yourself :D

now its becoming scary. If it happens, the damn thing should go up in Joburg CBD. That would give the city centre major boost and appeal.

Ya.... Construction starting at year end? About 10 prime high rise sites in Sandton vacant due to lack of tenants but this will go ahead?

I will literally eat a hat if a 110 storey building starts construction in Centurion by year end.

Now I REALLY want this thing to go ahead!

Would you prefer a beret, a Stormers cap, or one of those horned helmets the Bulls supporters wear?

Drove past the lake today. Saw a couple of front end loaders excavating part of the lake. A large portion has already been dug up. I don't know whether this is a routine clean up (Yea right, it's the first time it's been cleaned in forever) or whether they are prepping the area for construction?

Drove past the lake today. Saw a couple of front end loaders excavating part of the lake. A large portion has already been dug up. I don't know whether this is a routine clean up (Yea right, it's the first time it's been cleaned in forever) or whether they are prepping the area for construction?

Oi...

Could be a cleanup. That lake is a mess. Going ahead with this grandiose scheme just doesnt make any sense. If they wanted, Menlyn would be a better option. Or the cbd. This is a stupid idea

If I recall correctly, I read about a major cleanup of the like being in the pipeline a while back. This is probably it.

Guess who's getting an iStore :happy:



The FNB at the lakeside has also been revamped.

This development is definitely not sustainable in its current form for Centurion.It strikes me as some kind of wishful thinking. i doubt the financial model behind this will make sense. If this is not happening in Sandton CBD yet, i don't see how such a development can be somehow possible in Centurion.

An interesting comment (http://blog.galetti.co.za/2012/05/centurion-symbio-city-project/) from what appears to be a member of the development team (4th comment down).

The first part looked like the copy paste I've seen in most articles, but from the 4th paragraph a few interesting things were mentioned. I'm glad they have something to counter all those "you can't build in Centurion because there is dolomite omg you idiots" comments that pollute all the articles surrounding this development.

Guy who posted the comment's Twitter:

https://twitter.com/#!/rodgerwarren

Height restrictions may also play a role in this development's success as it is almost aligned with Waterkloof AFB's secondary runway. Nevertheless, Centurion deserves this, so I hope this happens.

^^ deserves this??

i was unfortunately in centurion this week. what a shit hole. felt like 1985 and PW botha was still in power

^^ deserves this??

The lake area of Centurion has not developed at the same pace as the rest of Centurion, so it needs some attention.

some atention yes, but this "development" is a joke. if they were talking 20-30F towers i would sit up and listen, but 110f/80f/60f it is just someones fantasy dream.

some atention yes, but this "development" is a joke. if they were talking 20-30F towers i would sit up and listen, but 110f/80f/60f it is just someones fantasy dream.

^^
I Agree

The smaller towers close to the N1 are probably better contenders.

i was unfortunately in centurion this week. what a shit hole. felt like 1985 and PW botha was still in power

A shithole? Really lol

^^ i am yet to hear anyone argue otherwise...

Places like Danville, Westonaria, Boksburg etc are shitholes. Look Centurion is no Sandton, but it's far from being a shithole.

^^

Johan,I love Centurion. If I stayed in SA, then I would have probably moved there.:)

Also have you been to those places (shitholes)? I have and they pleasantly suprised me when compared to the stereotypes...:lol:

^^ i am yet to hear anyone argue otherwise...

Wow. All hail the moderator, ne. No wonder this forum is moving in a particular direction.

Really? Centurion a shithole? :lol: By that logic we may as well implode the likes of the entire Durban CBD because that is infinitely worse than Centurion is and likely ever will be :nuts:

^^

Johan,I love Centurion. If I stayed in SA, then I would have probably moved there.:)

Also have you been to those places (shitholes)? I have and they pleasantly suprised me when compared to the stereotypes...:lol:

I've been to Danville a few times and drive through Westonaria every time I visit my grandparents. They are shitholes. I'll admit it's been a few years since I was in Boksburg so things most likely improved but Centurion still is a great deal ahead of the Rand.

This project or even one on a much smaller scale is exactly what the city needs in order to move forward.

Wow. All hail the moderator, ne. No wonder this forum is moving in a particular direction.

i am entitled to an opinion

and heck i was not even being serious. yes Centurion is terribly brown and grey in design, but its more a reaction to this idea being too far fetched

Places like Danville, Westonaria, Boksburg etc are shitholes..

Its all thanks to some people from a west African nation I can't call by name... I'm sorry if they offended but they can't be more offended than us, our towns our ruined.

I'm just gratefully that my hometown still looks 6 stars to those.

Its all thanks to some people from a west African nation I can't call by name... I'm sorry if they offended but they can't be more offended than us, our towns our ruined.

I'm just gratefully that my hometown still looks 6 stars to those.

If only they would all disappear in a puff of smoke.... No it's not the immigrants/refugees who ruin cities, it's the people who "run" them, or more like run them into the ground

^ I think Danville was a bit ruined before that ;) But it's a suburb anyway.

i was unfortunately in centurion this week. what a shit hole. felt like 1985 and PW botha was still in power

Oh SA Boy you crack me up! Why don't you just say it... You hate Afrikaners! :bash::bash::bash:

I've been to Danville a few times and drive through Westonaria every time I visit my grandparents. They are shitholes. I'll admit it's been a few years since I was in Boksburg so things most likely improved but Centurion still is a great deal ahead of the Rand.

This project or even one on a much smaller scale is exactly what the city needs in order to move forward.

This is not what the city needs to move forward. The fact that the mayor thinks that this is how to make a city work is just STUPID. Fix the BASICS, maintain what you already have, and then tall buildings will organically appear by themselves

Africa's tallest skyscraper building project face more criticism
By SA Commercial Prop News (http://www.sacommercialpropnews.co.za/business-specialties/property-construction-development/4966-centurion-tallest-skyscraper-building-project-face-more-criticism.html)

Expected to be completed in 2018, an estimated R17 billion has been budgeted for the construction of what could be the tallest building in Africa.

While it has been revealed that the controversial and ambitious Symbio-City project earmarked for Centurion will not be funded out of municipal coffers, detractors are still questioning the rationale behind this project - a project that that many believe will be detrimental to other stakeholders in the area, as well as other office park developments.

The Symbio-City project involves the building of a R17 billion hybrid office and retail development that will include the highest building in Africa – which is earmarked to commence in Centurion.

After an outcry in the press recently it appears that the project is still being considered but that there is a “fair amount of work to be done between the conception of a development and the actual implementation”.
These were the words from Johan Stanbury from Cresco Props, part of the consortium of promoters of the project.

Speaking to Moneyweb, Stanbury said: “What has been done is a desk top study based upon extensive research. A number of the results of this research still have to be verified. There is a fair amount of work to be done between the conception of a development and the actual implementation.”

It was also recently revealed by Mayor Kgosientso Ramokgopa that the tallest tower in the Symbio-City development will reach 110 storey and will be flanked by two high-rise buildings of 80 and 60 floors each. The total height of the tallest tower will be 447m – which will make it the tallest building in Africa.
But one of the biggest problems, according to many interested parties – including Org Geldenhuys from property management and development company, Abacus DIVISIONS – is that, in order to be sustainable, landlords would have to charge rent in excess of R200 per square meter.

“This is punitively high,” he said. “Who is going to pay rentals as high as this when there are top grade office park developments, such as Highveld Techno Park, which are charging rentals starting at R75 per square meter – and is approximately one kilometer away from the planned Symbio-City site? There is a very good chance that this development could, ultimately, become a white elephant. But, unfortunately, it could negatively affect business in the Centurion area – where there are currently more than 40 000 square meters of still-vacant office space.”

Geldenhuys said while he applauded the “energy” of the consortium who is championing the project, he argued that the City of Tshwane should rather focus on expanding the existing infrastructure in Centurion, and first “properly fix problems”, such as finally cleaning the Centurion lake, which is “akin to a cesspool and is driving business away from the area due to its high pollution risk, its lack of visual appeal, and its lingering smell.”

He pointed out that time and money would be better spent on creating a better overall business environment, including installing fiber optic for improved telecommunications – which is currently problematic.

Meanwhile, Rubesh Pillay of the mayoral committee recently reported in the press that the city’s coffers will not fund the project.

“The project will in fact be funded through private capital raised at risk by the developer of the project.”
Pillay also believes that the city, as a result of the development, will benefit from “substantial income” through property rates and services generated by it as the land still belongs to the municipality.

But concerned businessmen, such as Org Geldenhuys from Abacus DIVISIONS, dismissed this assertion as a “moot point”. “This is all conjecture right now. This is a hugely ambitious project which might just fall flat on its face. But the question we should rather be asking is: do we really need it?”

Wish the mayor would rather concentrate on fixing the CBD. I hate this tendancy in RSA of where the government is abandoning the CBDs (with the exception of CPT) for greener pastures. :bash:

Centurion iStore is now open :)

I love the idea of a supertall in South Africa, I've alway wanted SA to have a lot of tall skycrappers, but I think this project will be better in other areas, how about creating a new CBD in Cape Town,(in Milnerton for example)

This project would also look great in JHB CDB, Sandton, Durban, Pretoria, or even in East London (I dream of a South African skyline in the border of a river)

pie in the sky

Nothing new, really, but anyway:

Centurion Symbio-City to cost R18.2bn
30 Jul 2012

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 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.

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.

Source: Property24 (http://www.property24.com/articles/centurion-symbio-city-to-cost-r182bn/15949?SourceFeed=News24)

Even if it doesn't get built, the hype the proposal has created has been very good. The mall is undergoing some renovation and a few higher end brands are moving here.

I think this project would look too much better in East London, Eastern Cape, Imagine these skycrappers on the border of the Buffalo River, that'llbe be the most beatiful skyline in Africa, but I wish the building's design could similar to 11 diagonal street in Joburg,I mean blue and reflective


Please guy share your opinions on creating a major city in East London,

Well if there were remotely any demand for something like this in East London then that would be nice, but unfortunately there isn't :)

Isnt East London like somewhat of a s%@thole? :P

:madwife::madwife: girls girls, honestly, I live in Centurion and although it's not Sandton it's not that bad either.

Quite a number of buildings have been revamped around the lake and another one is under progress atm.

Lololololol @ accent!

3f1JDTKtaPU

I was cringing at 0:35 X_X

They're going on over Centurion as if it emerged as a +2 million boom town overnight. I doubt the number even comes close to 500k

Is this really being built?

Nope, it's a pipe dream, but it was fun seeing people actually envisioning something like this for Centurion.

I just hope the build the Tshwane International Convention Centre on the open field across from the mall. It's really shocking having a large piece of dirt smack bang in the CBD.

It will look really nice in Sandton, not Centurion.. But infrastructure in Sandton will be strained

Apparently Tshwane is still serious about Symbio City? The link is about the TICC proposed for Centurion.

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?p=99727099

They should stop being silly - if they really want to go ahead with it, do it in the Joburg CBD or Sandton.. it isn't viable anywhere else.

^ The TICC is viable for Centurion, but not Symbio City I agree.

According to someone involved with the project:

The Centurion Symbio City project is still online. There are a whole host of professionals working behind the seen. If all statutory documents are completed by August 2013 with the Tshwane council, geological drilling will take place in September 2013. September is the only month that the current lake is sturdy enough to facilitate the drilling machines.

The structural design will commence then. The rezoning will commence at this point as well. There have been delays from council. Those delays are being attended to.

Someone is beyond optimistic...

Nobody in their right mind will invest the amount of money needed for a project like this in this location, its just stupid amounts of overkill.