Structural Phase of Future African Landmark Complete

In Abidjan, Africa, after nearly five years in the heart of the Plateau, construction on the structural phase of F Tower is complete. With a final height of 421 meters, the structure — conceived by architect Pierre Fakhoury and delivered by main contractor PFO Construction, holder of the Design-Build contract — aims to become the tallest tower on the African continent.

The project is being led by the Côte d’Ivoire Ministry of Construction as the client, supported by the National Office for Technical Studies and Development, while SOCOTEC is responsible for the supervision assignments. With the scope assigned to BESIX in 2021, as a subcontractor to PFO, it will have been a flagship assignment, covering scheduling, site management and coordination, BIM coordination across all trades, structural design, as well as the full construction of the concrete structure. The initial structural concept was optimized by Greisch, with review by BESIX’s engineering department, before being built onsite.

The F Tower stands out for its exceptional geometry, with none of its 75 levels being identical. Inclined elements, specific Y, V or A-shaped columns, complex double-skin façades, bespoke formwork and steel-concrete interfaces all required constant adaptation of engineering and execution methods.

The concrete core, with walls up to 80 centimeters thick, also represented a major challenge, as did the management of differential deformations between the core and the columns. These issues were mastered through the use of advanced calculation models, supplemented by laboratory testing and continuous structural monitoring during construction.

The project as a whole was also delivered to particularly strict execution tolerances, made possible by full BIM coordination across all trades. The high-performance concrete, produced onsite, was specifically developed to adapt to local constraints and meet the project’s high requirements.

The project has passed several major milestones, with the concrete structure reaching 200 meters and then 300 meters in height. Up to 1,500 people were mobilized onsite, without any major accident. The F Tower has also been a human and collective adventure, driven by local and international teams.