South Africa is home to 54 buildings that stretch over 100 metres into the sky – with several more skyscrapers planned and under construction set to add to the list in the not too distant future.

According to a listing by Skyscraper Center, of the 54 100m+ skyscrapers in the country, only four are taller than 150 metres – and only one manages to extend beyond 200 metres.

The Carlton Centre, at 223 metres, is the tallest building in the country and also has the title of the tallest building in Africa.

Stretching 269 metres into the Johannesburg city skyline, the Telkom Tower (Hillbrow Tower) is actually the tallest structure in the country, but is listed as a telecommunication tower, not strictly a business or residential building, thus disqualifying it from this list.

While the Carlton Centre reigns supreme for now, a proposed R6 billion tower in Durban, if constructed, will overtake the Carlton by some margin, coming in at over 370 meters.

By contrast, the the world’s tallest artificial structure is the 829.8 m (2,722 ft) tall – the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Read: A look at the R6 billion skyscraper proposed for Durban

Other 150m+ buildings in South Africa include Joburg’s residential spire, the Ponte Tower; commercial office building (and home to the biggest electronic sign in SA) the Marble Towers, also in Johannesburg; and the Pearl Dawn hotel in Umhlanga in Durban.

A new R2 billion building under construction in Sandton, The Leonardo, will become the 5th tallest building in the country when it is completed in 2018 (6th, if the Durban Iconic Tower is ever realised). The Leonardo is expected to be 150m tall.

These are the tallest buildings in South Africa

1. Carlton Centre, Johannesburg – 222.5 metres

2. Ponte Tower, Johannesburg – 172.8 metres

3. Marble Towers, Johannesburg – 152.1 metres

4. Pearl Dawn, Durban – 152 metres

5. The Reserve Bank Building, Pretoria – 148 metres

6. 88 on Field, Durban – 146.5 metres

7. Kwadukuza Egoli Hotel Tower 1, Johannesburg – 140 metres

8. Michelangelo Tower, Sandton – 140 metres

9. ABSA Building, Johannesburg – 140 metres

10. Trust Bank Centre, Johannesburg – 140 metres

The tallest building in Cape Town is the Portside Building, which stretches 136.4 metres. The building is owned by Old Mutual and FirstRand bank.

The following two buildings (proposed and under construction) will also feature in the top 10 upon completion.

Durban Iconic Tower, Durban – 370 metres

(Proposed; est. completion: 2021)

The Leonardo, Sandton – 150 metres

(Under construction; est. completion: 2018)

[Image sources: SkyscraperCenter, SkyscraperCity, Pan African Developers]

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