A proposed new residential project in Zanzibar, Tanzania, could challenge Milwaukee's Ascent tower for the title of world’s tallest mass timber structure after being unveiled to the public on October 1.

Rising 28 stories to a height of approximately 315 feet, the Burj Zanzibar is designed by the Berlin-based practice OMT Architects and will occupy a plot in the seaside city of Unguja’s Fumba Town, a roughly one-mile-wide planned “eco-town” designed by the German engineer consortium CPS to attract tech workers and businesses to the country. 

In a statement to a local newspaper, OMT’s founder, Leander Moons, said it will stand as a “new ecosystem for the future of living.” The tower will reportedly feature a total of 266 residences (7 more than Ascent’s offerings) priced between $79,000 for a studio and $950,000 for the 26th-floor penthouse. Additional amenities include private garden terraces, a podium pool, and a retail component. CPS director Sebastian Dietzold added his view that Africa’s first tall timber design is a “new benchmark of building in the 21st century.”

If constructed, the tower will also offer an interesting architectural complement to the proposed Zanzibar Domino Commercial Tower, which, at 70 stories, would stand as Africa’s second-tallest structure behind the forthcoming Egyptian Iconic Tower that’s due for completion in the first quarter of next year.