A look at the R500 million skyscraper being built on Lower Long in Cape Town

Property developer Abland has begun excavating a site at 35 Lower Long Street in Cape Town, which will be home to a new R500 million skyscraper in 2020.

The development is on the site of the old Ernst & Young building, and is expected to reach 24 storeys – adding to the growing list of tower developments coming to the Mother City.

The building has been designed by Dhk Architects, and features a ‘glazed facade’, where the two main corners of the building are cut away and sloped towards the roof line, breaking the solidity of the building.

“The glazing on the these corners soars upwards past the roof line, further articulating the facade and extending past the building’s chambered corners, giving the effect of a crystalline screen rather than solid building mass,” Dhk said.

According to Abland, the development is valued at approximately R500 million, and will cover 14,000 square metres of floor space, while first occupancy of the building is expected to take place in the second quarter of 2020.

35 Lower Long joins several other tower developments that will change the skyline of Cape Town’s Foreshore precinct. Other developments include The Modern, the Zero2One, The Vogue, and 16 on Bree, which still needs to be finalised – all competing to be the new tallest building in the city.

Read: A look at The Modern – a R1.5 billion tower coming to Cape Town