The first office tower in Egypt’s new capital in the desert east of Cairo has been sealed, China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC) has announced.
The C08 office tower had the final piece of its curtain wall installed at the beginning of this year, making it "the first building to finish" in the new city’s central business district, CSCEC said on Facebook. Â
CSCEC won a $3bn contract to deliver a batch of 20 towers for the as-yet-unnamed New Administrative Capital’s central business district in October 2017.
It is scheduled to hand them over to the Egyptian government by 2022.
They include what will be Africa’s tallest skyscraper, the Iconic Tower. It will be 385m tall when complete. Last year, CSCEC said it was rising at a rate of one floor every six days or fewer.
CSCEC said: "From the approval to drawings, the application of lifting system delivered to site to the installation and sealing of the curtain walls, the Chinese and Egyptian partners have put their strength together and actively overcame many difficulties, and completed the construction with high quality and high efficiency.
"This all received a lot of recognition and praise by the facade subcontractor and the engineering company Dar."
At the end of December the Egyptian government said all its ministries would be transferred to the new capital this year.
Some 50,000 employees will make the move once they have been evaluated for "skills in Arabic and English, personal skills and computers through international programs", reported the Egypt Independent. Â
Image: The C08 office tower had the final piece of its curtain wall installed at the beginning of this year (CSCEC)
Further reading:
