The Leonardo, Africa’s tallest building finally opened its doors to the public after several months of teasing.
The Leonardo, Africa’s tallest building finally opened its doors last week Tuesday, after several months of teasing.
Developed by Legacy Group and Nedbank, The Leonardo is a 234m skyscraper within walking distance of the JSE, the headquarters of some of Africa’s and SA’s biggest companies and Sandton City.
It features penthouses, and five floors of office space as well as shops, restaurants, a gym and a herb garden.
Legacy Hotels & Resorts CEO & Chairman Bart Dorrestein said all the offices in The Leonardo are purchased and 90% of the apartments are sold.
“Our owners are scheduled to take occupation on a phased basis commencing March 2020,” he said.
The project suffered delays, however, which have become a source of conflict between Aveng and The Legacy Group.
In January this year, the developer removed Aveng from contract, but the construction firm maintains that the building was “practically complete at the point of termination” and has taken the matter to the adjudicator.
The building features a landscaped garden, restaurants, a bar, a crèche, a gym and a spa which will be linked by shuttle lifts directly into the parking garage.
Legacy development already bought 10 floors in the building where they plan to establish a luxury hotel in the future. Above the development floors, there are eight penthouses and the Leonardo suite, reaching from the 49th to the 55th levels.
More than half the apartments are available on a buy-to-rent basis, with the building also serving as a hotel with one-bedroom apartments costing R7,250 a night or R54,000 a month.
Designed by Johannesburg’s Co-Arc International Architects, the Leonardo supersedes the Carlton Centre as the tallest building on the continent. The 222m Carlton Centre in the city centre opened in 1972 as a hotel owned by Anglo American and now serves as the headquarters of Transnet.
Of Africa’s 10 tallest buildings, four are in Johannesburg, three in Dar es Salaam, two in Nairobi and one in Lagos. Construction of the 314m Pinnacle Tower in Nairobi has stalled
