Egypt completes concrete structure of tallest mediterranean tower

CAIRO - 1 November 2024: Egypt’s Minister of Housing, Utilities, and Urban Communities, Engineer Sherif El-Sherbini, announced the completion of the concrete structure for the Mediterranean's tallest tower, the Iconic Tower in New Alamein City. This landmark project began construction in February 2022, with the structural work completed on Thursday.

The Iconic Tower, standing among the Downtown Towers in New Alamein, reaches over 300 meters high with 67 floors and two underground levels, establishing a new benchmark in Mediterranean architectural achievements.

El-Sherbini detailed that the Iconic Tower is part of the Downtown Towers project, which also includes four additional towers, each standing at 200 meters (56 floors). These towers cover a combined area of 320,000 square meters, encircled by the Alamein Crystal Lagoon and multiple islands, offering both commercial and recreational amenities for residents and visitors. A scenic boardwalk surrounds the area, putting it on par with international urban developments.

The Iconic Tower required approximately 140,000 cubic meters of reinforced concrete for its structure, including Africa’s largest reinforced concrete mat foundation, comprising 19,600 cubic meters. The total project area covers around 463,000 square meters, with a podium spanning 96,000 square meters and floor spaces of approximately 3,000 square meters each.

The tower’s Y-shaped, curved design presented significant engineering challenges at this height. The New Urban Communities Authority, in coordination with engineering consultant Dar Al-Handasah and China’s CSCEC, achieved world-class execution rates, completing one floor every seven days.