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Looking to further capitalize on one of the most well recognized structures on the planet, the Egyptian government has unveiled renderings for a glassy pyramid skyscraper—a less-than-subtle (read: 660-foot-tall) homage to the country’s beloved ancient monument and tourist attraction.
The 49-story Zayed Crystal Spark is just one part of Cairo’s Sheikh Zayed City development, and actually incorporates two pyramids: one tall and skinny, the other short and squat—like Bert and Ernie, but giant polyhedrons. The skyscraper (you know, the Bert-type) is slated to become the country’s tallest building, ousting Egypt’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs from the post.
It’s also nearly 200 feet taller than the Great Pyramid, which, to its credit, was built 4,599 years ago.
Details are, for now, scant: Moustafa Madbouly, the country’s minister of housing, said the plan is a partnership between developers and the government’s New Urban Communities Authority, and that the government considers the project an investment in the region’s stumbling economy.
The architect hasn’t been announced, and neither has the exact use for the building, though Madboly told the Cairo Post Zayed Crystal Spark is considered “an administrative, commercial and entertainment project.” More details are expected to surface later this month. For now, however, we at least have the renderings.
