The Algerian government is driving an initiative to build five skyscrapers at five separate locations at a cost of about USD 2 billion, a senior official told Zawya.
The Algerian General Association for Entrepreneurs (AGAE) is preparing a feasibility study to be presented to prime minister Abdelmalek Sellal, appointed earlier this month in the course of a cabinet reshuffle by president Abdelaziz Bouteflika, in the first quarter of 2013.
"We have selected five locations for the project: Algiers, Oran, Annaba, Constantine and Ouargla. The structures will have between 30 and 100 floors, and up to 1,000 apartments and housing units in each," AGAE president Mouloud Kheloufi told Zawya.
The proposed buildings will mark a big leap over existing structures. The Sheraton Oran Hotel and Towers in Oran, at 77 meters and 19 stories, is the tallest building in Algeria, according to Emporis.com, a global provider of building information. The new initiative also marks the first time that Algeria has considered skyscrapers for residential complexes.
According to data from the ministry of housing and urbanization, Algeria needs 225,000 housing units per year to meet demand. The government creates 75,000 units annually, leaving a shortage of 150,000.
"Building higher to meet the housing demand will have collateral economic benefits by encouraging foreign investment and encouraging tourism," Faris Msdor, professor of economic sciences at the University of Algiers, told Zawya. "It will also position Algiers as one of the great capital cities of the world," he said.
© Zawya 2012
