11 Diagonal Street

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] and it was conceptualized in 1981 and excavations began in December that year. Construction ended in 1983 and the building was tenanted in 1984.^[5] 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.^[6] 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.^[7]

11 Diagonal Street
A view of the building from street level
General information
Status	Completed
Type	Multi use, Office
Location	Johannesburg, South Africa
Coordinates	26°12′15″S 28°2′9″E
Construction started	1981
Completed	1983
Opening	1984
Cost	R65 million
Owner	Rebosis Property Fund [1]
Height
Antenna spire	80 m (260 ft)
Roof	75 m (246 ft)
Top floor	75 m (246 ft)
Technical details
Floor count	20
Floor area	20,000 m2 (220,000 sq ft)
Lifts/elevators	6
Design and construction
Architect(s)	Helmut Jahn

The building's architect was Helmut Jahn^[8] and is featured on the Level 42 album cover The Very Best of Level 42.

Current Use

The building was used by the department of Development Planning & Local Government.^[9] It is currently occupied by The Gauteng Department of Infrastructure Development.^[10]