Screenshot Fumba Town Development film for Burj Zanzibar
Hamed Chapman
The Indian Ocean island of Zanzibar plans to build the world’s tallest green building, a 96-metre tall apartment tower with 28 storeys designed in hybrid timber technology and locally resourced material.
The spectacular high-rise project, named Burj Zanzibar, represents an environmental milestone that is being located at the centre of the futuristic, state-of-the-art seaside city of Fumba, near the capital, and is being carried out by a consortium of leading specialists from Switzerland, Austria, Germany, South Africa, and the US, as well as Tanzania.
Set against ocean views, it will feature 266 residences, as well as plant-strewn balconies, roof gardens, office space, and swimming pools in what is being dubbed a “vertical green village” to entice tech workers to the East African archipelago.
“Burj Zanzibar is not just an outstanding building but a new ecosystem for the future of living,” said Dutch-born architect Leander Moons, who drafted the idea to construct the skyscraper with hybrid-timber technology.
“Burj Zanzibar will be the highlight and natural continuation of our efforts to provide sustainable housing in Africa, thereby empowering local employment and businesses,” said Chief Executive Officer Sebastian Dietzold of the German-led engineering firm CPS.
The new project comes after Milwaukee’s 86.6-metre Ascent Tower in the US, which opened last year and was certified as the world’s tallest timber hybrid building by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat.
In terms of height, the Burj contrasts with Africa’s highest conventional skyscraper, the 385-metre office tower named “Iconic Tower” in Egypt, which is still under construction, and the world’s tallest conventional building, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, at some 828 metres. More locally, Tanzania’s highest skyscraper is the 157-metre Ports Authority building in Dar es Salaam.
In recent years, Zanzibar has experienced 15 percent annual growth in tourism and 6.8 percent economic growth. Zanzibar has been named as a top travel destination for 2023 by Travelers Worldwide Magazine putting the Island on top of 15 best travel destinations in Africa.
According to data compiled by the Office of the Chief Government Statistician- Zanzibar (OCGSZ) in collaboration with Zanzibar Commission for Tourism (ZCT) and the Immigration Department, Zanzibar received 46,338 tourists in September 2022.
This is equivalent to a 79.5 per cent increase compared with 25,817 visitors recorded in September 2021.
The island nation has made progress toward developing an independent and sustainable economy. Through its blue economy, it hopes to distinguish itself as one of Africa’s most inventive economies by utilising its abundant water resource.
Earlier last year, the country launched a $6 billion dollar initiative to attract African tech companies.
