Wooden Giant

Africa’s tallest hybrid timber high-rise will soon be going up on the island of Zanzibar. The flagship project Burj Zanzibar aims to set standards for sustainable architecture.

Ninety-six meters tall and constructed mostly of wood, the tower will contain 266 residential units on 28 floors. It will be built in Fumba Town, an eco-city created on the drawing board. Construction of the hybrid tower, the first of its kind to be built on African soil, is scheduled to begin in early 2024 and will cost a record $27.5 million. Inside the building with its honeycomb-like facade there will be a mix of studio apartments, one-and two-bedroom apartments and penthouses with planted balconies and green roof gardens. The “vertical green village” was designed by Berlin-based OMT Architects in collaboration with Birk Heilmeyer und Frenzel Architekten and Knippershelbig for the investor CPS Live.

Apart from its steel-reinforced concrete core, the building will primarily use timber technology, partly imported from Europe. “We want to use mainly local resources in the future, but this is only possible to a limited extent today. Tanzania has a sustainable forestry sector but not the necessary industry or infrastructure. The aim of our work is to create demand and promote the use of local timber as a building material for the future,” says Leander Moons, cofounder of OMT Architects, who has lived in Africa. Besides the Burj Zanzibar, OMT Architects are building affordable apartments, townhouses and a community sports club in Fumba Town.

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