Cairo, Egypt - September 01, 2024

Born and raised in Cairo, Abd Elrahman Ahmed has been fortunate enough to witness and oversee the construction of skyscrapers in the Central Business District (CBD) of Egypt's new administrative capital.

Located in the heart of the desert some 50 kilometers east of the country's capital Cairo, the CBD project covers an area of about 505,000 square meters, with 20 commercial and residential skyscrapers as well as supporting municipal infrastructure, among which is the 385-meter high Iconic Tower, the tallest building in Africa.

Carried out by China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC), the project is a landmark for the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) that seeks win-win development cooperation between participating states through economic and trade partnerships as well as infrastructure projects. It is expected to inject new vitality into the country's economic and social development.

Ahmed joined CSCEC and the construction of the CBD after graduating from university and now works as a project manager for its construction. In his view, the project represents a turning point in his country.

"Since its construction, the new capital CBD project marked a prelude to urban renewal. New technology is the engine of the rapid changes in the city. The 385.8-meter-tall iconic tower which used cutting-edge technologies such as skyscraper building machines took only three years to become the tallest building in Africa with more modern and efficient construction methods. After thousands of years, Egypt made a brilliant mark in the human architecture history once again," he said.

Highlighting green development and environmental protection, the project has fully considered resource utilization and distribution throughout its construction process.

"New energy has been used to power the creation of a green community. The CBD project has established a central utility complex, CUC, to centrally handle and rationally distribute energy resources in hot desert weather. We have used the most energy-saving methods to build a space with a constantly comfortable temperature. Solar street lamps on both sides of the road absorb energy during the day and light up at night. They don't only bring safety to the citizens but also conserve energy, reduce carbon emissions and cut electricity costs," said Ahmed.

After four years of construction, the modern city is finally taking shape, with a cluster of glass buildings shining like a mirage amid the arid landscape.

"New concepts of recycling governance have been merged into urban life. The plants of the new capital are irrigated and grown with recycled water, adding patches of greenery to the golden desert," said the project manager.

"Every day, thousands of Egyptian and Chinese workers work very hard to take a step further to fulfill Egypt's vision. The outline of this future city becomes clearer and clearer," he said.

SHOTLIST:

Cairo, Egypt - Recent
1. Cityscape;
2. Various of Abd Elrahman Ahmed, project manager of Egyptian Central Business District (CBD), talking with friends;
3. Various of Ahmed walking;
4. Various of fast motion showing buildings under construction;
5. Aerial shots of buildings in CBD;
UPSOUND (English) Abd Elrahman Ahmed, project manager, Egyptian Central Business District:
"Since its construction, the new capital CBD project marked a prelude to urban renewal. New technology is the engine of the rapid changes in the city. The 385.8-meter-tall iconic tower which used cutting-edge technologies such as skyscraper building machines took only three years to become the tallest building in Africa with more modern and efficient construction methods. After thousands of years, Egypt made a brilliant mark in the human architecture history once again.";
6. Ahmed viewing building;
7. Various of buildings under construction;
8. Workers welding;
9. Aerial shots of buildings;
10. Flower, building in background
UPSOUND (English) Abd Elrahman Ahmed, project manager, Egyptian Central Business District:
"New energy has been used to power the creation of a green community. The CBD project has established a central utility complex, CUC, to centrally handle and rationally distribute energy resources in hot desert weather. We have used the most energy-saving methods to build a space with a constantly comfortable temperature. Solar street lamps on both sides of the road absorb energy during the day and light up at night. They don't only bring safety to the citizens but also conserve energy, reduce carbon emissions and cut electricity costs.";
11. Various of Ahmed walking, looking at building;
12. Various of factory;
13. Various of Ahmed walking, examining facilities;
14. Various of facilities;
15. Various of Ahmed walking, examining facilities;
16. Various of Ahmed viewing solar panels;
17. Various of solar panels;
18. Various of sunset;
19. Aerial shots of cityscape at night;
20. Various of animation showing CBD
UPSOUND (English) Abd Elrahman Ahmed, project manager, Egyptian Central Business District:
"New concepts of recycling governance have been merged into urban life. The plants of the new capital are irrigated and grown with recycled water, adding patches of greenery to the golden desert. Comfortable living space and harmonious and friendly community culture support our Egyptian vision for a better life in the future. Every day, thousands of Egyptian and Chinese workers work very hard to take a step further to fulfill Egypt's vision. The outline of this future city becomes clearer and clearer.";
21. Automatic sprinkler system watering tree;
22. Various of man irrigating flowers;
23. Water treatment factory;
24. Various of buildings under construction;
25. Various of animation showing CBD;
26. Sunrise;
27. Various of workers working at construction site;
28. Various of engineers talking, discussing;
29. Aerial shots of CBD.

[Restrictions: No access Chinese mainland]