Nairobi’s Britam Tower has been ranked as the top skyscraper in Africa and among the top 10 buildings globally.
The 195-meter tall structure has been named Africa’s top skyscraper in the global architecture awards announced recently in Germany.
The 31-storey building located along Hospital Road in Nairobi’s Upperhill estate has consequently scooped the Emporis Skyscraper Award.
It also becomes the first skyscraper in Africa to feature among the top 10 buildings globally in the award’s 19-year history.
“Britam Tower by GAPP Architects and Triad Architects made its way to the tenth position among other outstanding skyscrapers in the world,” the Emporis management says in a statement.
The skyscraper is owned by British-American Investments (Britam) Properties Limited and is currently the tallest building in East and Central Africa and second in the continent behind South Africa’s Carlton tower.
One can be able to see Mount Kenya and Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania from the top of the building on clear days.
“The building had to make sound commercial sense to the investor and tenants alike and add value to the precinct in which it is situated,” Triad architects say.
The Emporis Skyscraper Award is the most coveted prize for high-rise architecture in the world.
A team of experts from across the world usually picks the winners, while the nominated structures are rated based on their achievements in function and aesthetics.
Completed in 2017, Britam tower features a unique prism shape that starts as an equal four-sided square footprint and ends with a two-sided roof with a 60 meters mast containing three helical wind turbines.
The building has an attached 12-storey car park that can accommodate more than 1,000 vehicles.
Other skyscrapers featured in the Emporis Awards include Generali Tower in Milan, Chicago’s 150 North Riverside and Riverpoint. Lotte World Tower in Seoul, South Korea received the top spot award.
