Department of Taxes and Attorney General's Chambers Building

The Department of Taxes and Attorney General's Chambers Building (sometimes shortened to Attorney General's Chambers Building) is currently the tallest building in Botswana[4] and one of the most expensive buildings built in Africa.[5] The building, located in the Government Enclave on Nelson Mandela Drive in Gaborone, is home to the Botswana Department of Taxes and the Attorney General's Chambers.

Department of Taxes and Attorney General's Chambers Building
Location within Botswana
Alternative namesAttorney General's Chambers Building
General information
StatusComplete
TypeOffice building
Architectural styleFuturism
LocationNelson Mandela Drive, Gaborone, Botswana
Coordinates
Current tenantsBotswana Department of Taxes, Attorney General's Chambers
Construction started1999 (1999)
Completed2007 (2007)[lower-alpha 1]
Cost42 million United States dollars
OwnerBotswana government
Height176.77 ft (53.88 m)
Technical details
Structural systemCurtain wall, made of concrete
Floor count15
Floor area38,000 square metres (410,000 sq ft)
Design and construction
Architecture firmPramod Patel Architects
Other designersThe Fitzwilliam Partnership Botswana
References
[1][2][3]

History

Miscommunication and financial mismanagement caused construction of the building to grossly exceed both the deadline and budget. The part of the building originally for the Attorney General's Chambers was assigned to three other departments (i.e. the Ministry of Commerce and Industry; the Ministry of Works, Transport and Communications; and the Department of Architecture and Building Services) before being assigned to the Attorney General once again. Lesego Motsumi, Minister of Works and Transport, reported that "the project had a time delay of 544 days which resulted in an additional cost of P11,734,464.27" (US$1.9 million in July 2007).[6]

Architecture

The building's design has been criticised for its glass windows, which can cause high energy costs in a hot climate.[7]

Notes
  1. Sources give differing completion dates. The Fitzwilliam (2012) page says the building was completed in March 2002 while the Sunday Standard (2007) article shows that the building was still under construction in 2007.

Citations
  1. Emporis1.
  2. Denbow & Thebe 2006, p. 99.
  3. Fitzwilliam 2012.
  4. SkyscraperPage.com.
  5. Emporis2.
  6. Sunday Standard 2007.
  7. Boidus 2011.

References
  • "Attorneys General Chambers Building". The Fitzwilliam Partnership Botswana. 2012. Archived from the original on 15 March 2012. Retrieved 24 July 2012.
  • Denbow, James Raymond; Thebe, Phenyo C. (2006). Culture And Customs of Botswana. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 9780313331787.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • "Department of Taxes and Attorney General's Chambers Building". Emporis. Archived from the original on 24 July 2012. Retrieved 24 July 2012.
  • "Gaborone". SkyscraperPage.com. Archived from the original on 23 July 2012. Retrieved 24 July 2012.
  • "Greening Our Energy Guzzling Buildings for the 21st Century". Boidus. 21 June 2011. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 24 July 2012.
  • "The most expensive buildings in Africa". Emporis. Archived from the original on 24 July 2012. Retrieved 24 July 2012.
  • "Poor planning bleeds government of millions of Pula". Sunday Standard. 29 July 2007. Archived from the original on 24 July 2012. Retrieved 24 July 2012.
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