The Leonardo in Sandton will be by far the tallest building in the area – and will come incredibly close to meeting the Carlton Centre’s height of 223 metres.

The rise of the luxury development has been hard to miss for anyone travelling past or into Sandton, as the building has steadily gained in height over the past few months, dwarfing the buildings around it, and reaching above the former stand-out, The Michaelangelo.

Initial design documents for the R2 billion skyscraper put the planned height of the building at 150 metres high with 42 floors. However, in March, documents showed a phase development of 47 floors, with the building said to extend beyond 180 metres – making it by far the tallest building in Sandton.

As the development climbs ever higher, some have speculated that the skyscraper could reach a height of 227 metres, building 55 floors in total – making it the new tallest building in the country (and Africa).

These numbers have been repeated by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat – an international group that tracks and measures the construction of skyscrapers and tall buildings across the globe, and sets the standards by which they are measured.

According to the group, the latest “most reliable information” it has received regarding the Leonardo, is that it will reach 227 metres – however, as the building is still being developed, it said the final measure is subject to change.

What the developers say

When asked about the final planned height for the development, a spokesperson for The Legacy Property group, which is behind The Leonardo, said that “at this stage” the building will be 50 floors, and reach 220 metres high.

This would put the building just metres below the Carlton Centre, which is recorded at 222.5 metres, and seven metres under the speculated height.

“We believe that The Leonardo will be the most technologically advanced, environmentally friendly building on the continent. That has certainly been the thinking behind the planning and development of the property,” the group said.

The Leonardo is a mixed-use development that will offer luxury residential units in the form of apartments and penthouse suites, as well as over 15,000 square metres of premium office space.

It will also house a business and conference centre and other amenities, like a gym and spa, restaurants and a lifestyle and recreation zone.

The building is expected to be completed in 2019. These images on Skyscrapercity.com show the development in its current state.

Read: A look at the R2 billion development that will become the tallest building in Sandton