11 Diagonal Street (also known as the diamond building)[2] is an iconic office tower in downtown Johannesburg, South Africa, that was built by Anglo American Property Services.[3] The 22 floor building is the 15th tallest in the city.[4]

The building's architect was Helmut Jahn.[5] It was conceptualized in 1981 and excavations began in December that year. Construction ended in 1983 and the building was tenanted in 1984.[6] The building is designed to look like a diamond as it reflects different views of the Central Business District from each angle of the building.[7] Apart from its unique exterior, the structure was built with concrete instead of steel, demonstrating that concrete could be used instead of steel in both speed and cost.[6]

The building is shown on the album cover for The Very Best of Level 42.

Current use

The building was used by the department of Development Planning & Local Government.[8] It is currently occupied by The Gauteng Department of Infrastructure Development.[9]

References

  1. ↑ "One moment, please..." www.rebosis.co.za.[dead link]
  2. ↑ "The Diamond Building – Johannesburg, South Africa". AEWORLDMAP.COM (3,300+ posts). 8 September 2015. Retrieved 6 April 2025.
  3. ↑ 11 Diagonal Street (1983) Published by Anglo American Property Services (Pty), Ltd., Johannesburg
  4. ↑ "The Diamond Building – Johannesburg, South Africa". AEWORLDMAP.COM (3,300+ posts). 8 September 2015. Retrieved 19 February 2025.
  5. ↑ "Jahn". Jahn. Retrieved 19 February 2025.
  6. 1 2 "Eleven diagonal street concrete won the day". Civil Engineering = Siviele Ingenieurswese. 1983 (1): 11–13. January 1983. hdl:10520/AJA10212019_16842.
  7. ↑ "11 Diagonal Street, Johannesburg, South Africa". Emporis. Archived from the original on 8 February 2007.
  8. ↑ "Diagonal Street, with Neil Fraser". joburg.org.za. Archived from the original on 26 October 2014. Retrieved 26 October 2014.
  9. ↑ Lebohang. "11 Diagonal Street". Rebosis. Archived from the original on 19 May 2024. Retrieved 19 February 2025.
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/11_Diagonal_Street