With a planned total height of 412 meters, La Tour F, a future government building in the heart of Abidjan’s administrative district “Le Plateau,” is set to become the tallest structure in Africa. Surrounded by existing ministries and authorities, this imposing high-rise stands as a symbol of Côte d’Ivoire’s infrastructural progress.
Located at the center of “Le Plateau,” La Tour F is a project of remarkable scale. The final decision to increase the building’s height with an additional steel structure was made not least for symbolic reasons: Following the country’s victory in the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations, the government resolved to set new architectural benchmarks as well visible all the way to the national stadium.
High-Rise Construction: Precision at Every Stage
The structure is being realized in two construction phases. The first 300 meters consist of a solid reinforced concrete framework, followed by a steel structure for the remaining upper floors. Responsibility for the complete concrete works lies with Belgian construction company BESIX. This includes concrete production and delivery, as well as pumping, placement, and formwork.
While mobile truck-mounted concrete pumps were used in the early stages, a stationary high-pressure concrete pumping system from SCHWING Stetter was installed once the building exceeded 40 meters in height. This system is specifically designed for the demands of large-scale projects and delivers excellent performance and efficiency.
SP 7500 D: High Performance for Vertical Extremes
At the heart of the concrete pumping system is the stationary high-pressure pump SP 7500 D, manufactured at SCHWING’s headquarters in Herne, Germany. With a drive power of 310 kW, it ranks among the most powerful pumps in its class. In piston-side operation, it reaches a maximum concrete pressure of up to 243 bar. Under optimal conditions, this enables pumping heights of up to 700 meters—as proven in 2007 during the Parbati Hydropower Project in India.
Concrete is conveyed through a DN 125 high-pressure steel pipeline with a wall thickness of 8.8 millimeters. To prevent backflow during pumping pauses, shut-off valves rated to 250 bar are installed.
At the upper end of the pipeline, the SPB 35 distributor boom, also developed by SCHWING Stetter and integrated into the climbing formwork system, ensures precise and reliable placement of the concrete. A separate climbing mast system is therefore not required.
Self-Compacting Concrete and Its Pumping Parameters
The project uses a self-compacting concrete (SCC) of strength class C50/60. This mix combines high compressive strength with excellent pumpability over long distances. In the summer of 2022, an extensive pumping test was conducted to determine the so-called friction coefficient—an essential parameter for calculating the required pumping pressure.
The test results confirmed the typical behavior of SCC: the friction coefficient increases nonlinearly with pump speed but tends to decrease with increasing pumping height. These interactions were evaluated using established calculation models that have already been applied in major high-rise projects such as Four Frankfurt, Karla Tornet in Gothenburg, and the Jeddah Tower in Saudi Arabia.
Cylinder Dynamics: Purposeful Use of Differential Technology
To maintain high output as building height increases, the SP 7500 D uses a differential cylinder system that allows switching between rod-side and piston-side operation. While rod-side mode offers higher delivery speed at lower pressure, piston-side mode enables significantly higher pressures at reduced output. The switch to piston-side operation was carried out as scheduled in July 2024 at a building height of approximately 200 meters.
Construction Progress at a High Level
The concrete works were successfully completed in June 2025. During the active construction phase, one additional floor of the building’s core structure was completed roughly every eight days. In total, approximately 75,000 cubic meters of concrete were used—an impressive volume that reflects the scale and ambition of this extraordinary project.
La Tour F: A Forward-Looking Reference Project
La Tour F is not only a remarkable building, but also a technological flagship project. SCHWING Stetter’s concrete pumping technology—particularly the SP 7500 D—has demonstrated its capability under some of the most demanding conditions. With its robust system architecture, high operational reliability, and precise control, the project stands as a reference for modern high-rise construction in Africa and beyond.
