Nabemba Tower

The Tour Nabemba, also known as Elf Tower, is 106 meters the tallest building in Central Africa and is in Brazzaville ( Republic of Congo). It was named after the highest mountain of the Republic of the Congo, Nabemba. The building was built with borrowed funds from the French oil company Elf Aquitaine to demonstrate the supposed superiority of Brazzaville compared to the larger of the two Congolese capitals, Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of Congo).

The Tour Nabemba was designed by Jean Marie Legrand, built during the Marxist five-year plan of the government, from 1982 to 1986. At 30 floors, various ministries and offices of charity institutions are housed, such as the African self-help development initiative and the New Partnership for Africa's Development and UNESCO. The high-rise is located right on the river Congo to the south of the city, across from Kinshasa.

Data and Technology

The shape of the tower is slim; the sides are bent inwards towards the center and thus yield a concave cylinder. The tower is based on a rectangular platform, which forms the main core of the construction. The exterior consists of vertical lines with glass and light concrete, which enhance its narrow shape. The floor plan comprises of the sixth to the 27th floor three concentric circles: in the middle there are the elevators and technical facilities, they are enclosed by a circular corridor, and finally by an outer ring of offices, which are divided by movable walls into segments limited. The windows are locked now, but air conditioning is pumping air through a cold water cooling system, thereby regulating the temperature in the building. Three 430 kVA generators power the building during the constant power outages in the city with energy.

Criticism

During the Civil War in 1997 brought the Marxist dictator Sassou Nguesso returned to power, the tour Nabemba was heavily damaged. The ruin was, however, rebuilt for £ 6 million - more than the actual cost of construction. Meanwhile remained destroyed by missiles neighboring offices, homes and buildings.

For the maintenance of the building 3 million to be spent per year £. This is critically evaluated by locals as the building to be used in addition to the test as prestige objects, no actual benefits harbors.