Bahria Icon Tower

Bahria Icon Tower
برج بحریہ آئکون
Bahria Icon in 2021
General information
StatusTopped-out
LocationBahria Town Icon Tower, #5, Block 4, Shahrah-e-Firdousi, Clifton, Karachi-75600, Pakistan
Coordinates24°48′42.48″N 67°1′43.25″E / 24.8118000°N 67.0286806°E / 24.8118000; 67.0286806
Construction started
2009
Topped-out2017
Completed
March 2016
CostUS$162.5 million
OwnerBahria Town
Height
Tip300 m (980 ft)
Roof273 m (896 ft)
Technical details
Floor count62 + 7 below ground
Floor area2,230,500 square metres (24,009,000 sq ft)
Lifts/elevators16
Design and construction
ArchitectArshad Shahid Abdullah (Pvt.) Ltd.
DeveloperBahria Town
Structural engineer
BEG Associates, ESS.I.AAR.
Main contractorHabib Rafiq (Pvt.) Ltd.
Other information
Parking1,700 spaces
Website
bticon.com

The Bahria Icon Tower is a skyscraper complex in the seaside municipality of Clifton in Karachi, Pakistan. The complex includes a 62-storey tower, which at 300 metres (980 ft), is the tallest building in Pakistan. The complex also includes an adjacent 42-storey building, and is owned by the Bahria Town Group.

The construction of the Bahria Icon Tower was started in 2009, and was completed in March 2016. Further development of the complex has been on hold since 2021.

Bahria Town Icon

The Bahria Town Icon is a 62-storey, 273-metre (896 ft) skyscraper in the skyscraper complex, Bahria Icon Tower.

Bahria Hotel Tower

Bahria Hotel Tower is 42-storey, 200-metre (660 ft) skyscraper in the skyscraper complex, Bahria Icon Tower.

Mall of Karachi

The Mall of Karachi is a mall located in Bahria Hotel Tower and Bahria Town Icon, it is spread across eight floors.

Location

The complex is based on a four acre plot in the up-scale Clifton area, and is immediately adjacent to the Bagh Ibne Qasim park, and the shrine of Abdullah Shah Ghazi - an 8th-century mystic who is widely regarded as the patron saint of Karachi.

History

Construction began in 2009. During its construction, excavations for the foundations caused inconvenience for traffic flow. It was topped out in October 2017. In November 2018, a small fire broke out at the site where a marriage hall and cinema were being installed. There was a display of fireworks upon its completion. Construction had been slow and marred by allegations of corruption against the owner of Bahria Group, Malik Riaz.

In May 2025, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) announced plans to auction Bahria Icon Tower to recover due Rs. 26.46 billion in unpaid taxes, scheduling it for 19 June 2025 under section 138(2)(a) of the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001. However, on June 13, 2025, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) issued a stay order, halting the auction process. This came after a petition filed by Bahria Town, asserting that it was not involved in the £190 million NAB Al-Qadir Trust case corruption case.

Further development of the complex has been on hold since 2021.

In May 2025, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) announced plans to auction Bahria Icon Tower to recover Rs. 26.46 billion in unpaid taxes, scheduling it for 19 June 2025 under Section 138(2)(a) of the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001.

Details

The main building consists of 10 floors of serviced corporate offices and 40 floors of serviced apartments, Pakistan's highest located terraced restaurant, a double-decker high speed elevator, and a shopping mall. The building will be serviced by 16 high-speed elevators. It will have a car park with 1,700 spaces, and a total area of 2,230,500 m2 (24,009,000 sq ft).

It has 62 floors above ground, and 7 below ground. It is made of reinforced concrete with a glass facade. Steel was procured by Cellpor, and produced in conjunction with the Luxembourg-based ArcelorMittal conglomerate. It is expected to be complete by March 2023. Over the past three years, no progress has been built and the building is still not finished to this very day.[when?][needs update][citation needed]

Honours and awards

The design won architectural design awards for efficient use of space and maximization of utility, including

See also

References

  1. ↑ D4Sys. "Welcome to Costveyors (Pvt.) Ltd.- Bahria Town Icon". Archived from the original on 3 January 2016. Retrieved 17 December 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  2. ↑ https://bahriatown.com/bahria-town-icon/
  3. ↑ https://www.india.com/news/world/the-highest-building-of-pakistan-is-bahria-icon-tower-located-in-karachi-no-match-to-burj-khalifa-in-dubai-7797783/amp/
  4. ↑ "Bahria Town Icon". 9 June 2020.
  5. ↑ "62-storey Bahria Town Icon reaches structural completion". Pakistan Today.
  6. ↑ "Bahria Town ICON - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
  7. ↑ "Bahria Town Icon". Bahria Town. 9 June 2020. Retrieved 6 July 2026.
  8. ↑ "The highest building of Pakistan is located in..., no match to Burj Khalifa in Dubai, its height is..." India.com. 4 May 2025. Retrieved 6 July 2026.
  9. 1 2 3 "62-storey Bahria Town Icon reaches structural completion | Pakistan Today". Pakistan Today. Archived from the original on 4 February 2023. Retrieved 6 July 2026.
  10. ↑ Shahzad, Khurram (22 January 2016). "Country's tallest building 'Bahria Town Icon' inaugurated in Karachi". Daily Pakistan. Archived from the original on 25 January 2016. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  11. ↑ Sam Neymra (24 January 2016). "Country's Tallest Building Bahria Icon Tower Inaugurated In Karachi". TheNewsTrack. Archived from the original on 25 January 2016. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  12. 1 2 Omer, Shahab (5 March 2023). "Between a saint and a shrine: The curse of Bahria Icon Tower". Profit by Pakistan Today. Retrieved 11 August 2025.
  13. ↑ "Executive Summary" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 September 2016. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
  14. ↑ Mangi, Faseeh. "In the 'Best Hidden' Frontier Market, a Boom Signals a Pakistan Revival". Bloomberg News. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
  15. ↑ Hasan, Arif (27 April 2014). "Karachi's Densification". Dawn. Retrieved 6 December 2016. The other site is the over 1,200-year-old tomb of Ghazi Abdullah Shah, a descendant of Imam Hasan. He has become the patron saint of Karachi and his urs is an important event for the city and its inhabitants.
  16. 1 2 3 "Bahria Town Icon, Karachi | 1193055 | EMPORIS". Emporis. Archived from the original on 7 March 2016. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  17. ↑ Ilyas, Faiza (23 July 2014). "Outcry over Clifton high-rise, traffic project during Sepa hearing". Dawn. Dawn Media. Dawn. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  18. ↑ "Small fire breaks out in Bahria Icon Tower in Karachi's Clifton | SAMAA". Samaa TV. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  19. ↑ "بحریا آئيکون پر آتشبازی". Jang group. Daily Jang. 25 January 2016. Archived from the original on 25 January 2016. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  20. ↑ Asad, Malik (8 February 2020). "Malik Riaz, others summoned in Bahria Icon Tower reference case". Dawn. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  21. ↑ "FBR schedules auction of Bahria Icon Tower, Mall of Islamabad to recover Rs26bn in taxes". Profit by Pakistan Today. 29 May 2025. Retrieved 11 August 2025.
  22. ↑ Asad, Malik (13 June 2025). "IHC stays NAB's planned auction of Bahria Town properties". Dawn. Retrieved 11 August 2025.
  23. ↑ "90% work completed of Bahria Town Icon, will be inaugurated today". Dunya News. 22 January 2016. Retrieved 6 July 2026.
  24. ↑ "Pakistan's tallest building 'Bahria Town Icon' inaugurated". The News International. 25 January 2016. Retrieved 6 July 2026.
  25. ↑ "Infrastructure development: It's time to fly over Clifton". The Express Tribune. 1 May 2015. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
  26. 1 2 "Bahria Town ICON - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  27. ↑ "Cellpor Building Solutions". www.cellpor.com. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  28. ↑ "Asia Pacific 2012". Archived from the original on 17 December 2015. Retrieved 17 December 2015.

Wikimedia Commons logo Media related to Bahria Icon Tower at Wikimedia Commons