Construction Of Bulgarias First Skyscraper To Start By Beginning Of 2007

The building of the first skyscraper in Bulgaria will start by the end of the year.

The office building will be constructed near Kempinski Hotel Zografski, 24 Chassa newspaper reported. In this way the 35-floor skyscraper will appear in one of the capital's highest areas.

The estimated investment needed for the execution of the project totals 45 million euro. Roumen Markov from Joint Building Investment, the company in charge of the construction, said that he was already negotiating with future partners and potential investors.

The construction work would start by the end of the year, at first financed through bank loans, Markov said.

According to the project, the building area will cover over 32 000 sq m. Architects have planned the construction of a helicopter landing place and an underground parking lot for over 870 vehicles. The facility will be class A, the highest one for office buildings, 24 Chassa said

To improve accessibility to the new skyscraper, architects have also planned renovation of the surrounding areas. Nearly one kilometre of Cherni Vruh Boulevard will run underground below a new park. A pedestrian alley will connect the two main parks in Sofia – Borossov Garden and South Park, 24 Chassa said.

The renovation of the boulevard will cost over 13 million euro. The project would be the first one executed without municipality participation, Sofia's chief architect Petar Dikov said.sofiaecho.com