Gauteng’s skyline giants: How well do you know our tallest buildings?

How well do you know Joburg’s skyline? That’s the question that got us thinking after The Dropout, the Thursday brain-teaser on HOT 1027 Drive with Ian F, challenged listeners to identify some of the city’s tallest inhabitable buildings.

And it turns out there’s more to our towering landmarks than meets the eye!

At 228 metres, Sandton’s glittering Leonardo tops the list, followed by the iconic Carlton Centre in the Johannesburg CBD at 201 metres. The Carlton Centre held the title of Africa’s tallest building for decades.

Then there’s one of Joburg’s most recognisable landmarks: Ponte City. Standing 173 metres tall, this cylindrical apartment block has dominated the Berea skyline since 1975.

Marble Towers comes next at 152 metres, but here’s where things get interesting.

Just one metre behind is Auckland Park’s SABC Radio Park building, while Pretoria finally enters the competition with the South African Reserve Bank headquarters at 148 metres.

The next four buildings are tied at 140 metres: KwaDukuza eGoli Hotel Tower 1, Michelangelo Tower, ABSA Building and Trust Bank Centre.

And what about those enormous towers you can spot from kilometres away?

Hillbrow Tower and Brixton Tower may be taller than many of the buildings on our list, but neither qualifies for this particular contest. They’re telecommunications towers, not inhabitable buildings.

So next time you’re driving through Gauteng, look up! You might just discover something new about the skyline you thought you knew.

And if you enjoy putting your general knowledge to the test, catch The Dropout every Thursday on HOT 1027 Drive with Ian F, weekdays from 3pm to 6pm.

NOTE: Heights are rounded architectural-height measurements from The Skyscraper Center (CTBUH). Other published measurements may differ.

Further reading

• • The Skyscraper Center – Johannesburg – architectural heights and building rankings.
  • Reserve Bank Building – The Skyscraper Center – details of Pretoria’s tallest building.
  • South Africa’s tallest buildings – The Skyscraper Center – compare Gauteng’s landmarks with buildings elsewhere in the country.
  • HOT 1027 Drive: Department of Stupid Games – catch up on the games and brain-teasers from Ian F’s show.