Babillon Tower
| Babillon Tower | |
|---|---|
ბაბილონის კოშკი | |
Location within Georgia | |
| General information | |
| Status | Under construction |
| Type | Mixed-use |
| Location | Batumi, Georgia |
| Coordinates | 41°39′01″N 41°37′46″E / 41.6503°N 41.6295°E |
| Construction started | April 2013 |
| Completed | June 2024 |
| Height | |
| Architectural | 171.7 m (563 ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 46 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Tago Architects |
| Website | |
| polides | |
Azure Tower, also known as Babillon Tower (Georgian: ბაბილონის კოშკი) is a skyscraper under construction in Batumi, Georgia. It is 171.7 meters[1] tall (47 stories[2]). The Babillon Tower will become one of many new buildings constructed in Batumi in recent years, leading to a renewal of the tourist industry.[3] The construction is overseen by Omer Ilknur[2] and was to include a 4-star hotel, a casino, residences, social facilities, shops, offices, cafes, restaurants, and bars.[4]
As of May 2019, the Government of Georgia sold the Babillon Tower multi-story building to MC Construction, located in the center of Batumi. The online auction started at 24.5 million GEL, 33% less than the previous unsuccessful auction. Babylon Tower was supposed to be completed in 2015, but the developer of the project TAM GEO LLC[5] did not fulfill their obligations.[6]
Economic and social impact
The Azure Tower project has been described by local media as part of a broader wave of investment in Batumi’s skyline during the 2010s and 2020s. The city, which seeks to position itself as a Black Sea tourist hub, has encouraged large-scale developments including luxury hotels, casinos, and high-rise apartments. Proponents argue that such projects could increase employment and international tourism in the Adjara region.[7]
Critics, however, have highlighted the risks of overdevelopment, noting that several skyscraper projects in Batumi have stalled or remained incomplete. Concerns were also raised regarding the concentration of investment in luxury real estate, while affordable housing in the city has remained scarce.[8]
Current status and architectural design
The Azure Tower is currently still under construction, with its status marked as "interrupted" in specialized databases such as SKYDB, which lists the tower’s structural form as a skyscraper, primary usage as a hotel, and architectural style as modern. The building's address is given as 30 Rustaveli Avenue in Batumi, and its structural project remains incomplete despite initial plans for its development.[9]
Recent visual documentation from Korter (July 2025) shows active construction progress, indicating that the project continues under the current developer, MC Construction. The complex, marketed under the name "Azure," consists of two towers: one 14-story and the other 47-story, both still rising amidst the urban landscape of downtown Batumi.[10]
On the design side, the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) lists the project, officially named "Azure Tower Hotel" or "Babillon Tower Hotel," with an architectural height of approximately 57.5 m (189 ft) over 15 floors, currently topped out and expected to complete in 2024. The developer is listed as TAM GEO while the architect is Tago Architects, and the main contractor is cited as Altinsoy.[11]
See also
References
- ^ "News 101882". Archived from the original on 2014-02-02. Retrieved 2014-01-21.
- ^ a b Walker, Shaun (September 8, 2012). "Batumi: From black hole to Black Sea paradise". The Independent. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
- ^ Dinah Spritzer, "Next Stop: Glamour revives port of Batumi", New York Times, September 9, 2010.
- ^ Interview with Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine, elakata somlakiki.com
- ^ Kondratov, Valeriy V.; Petrov, Vadim A.; Kovalinskiy, Sergey S. (2016). "Calculational and Experimental Studies for Dynamic Interaction of Rail Bridge Spans and Abutments". Proceedings of Petersburg Transport University. 13 (3): 344–352. doi:10.20295/1815-588x-2016-3-344-352. ISSN 1815-588X.
- ^ "Government Sells "Babylon Tower" for 24.9 million GEL". bm.ge. Retrieved 2019-12-16.
- ^ "Batumi aims to become Black Sea tourism magnet". Agenda.ge. 14 September 2018. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
- ^ "Batumi's unfinished towers and the challenges of urban growth". OC Media. 22 March 2021. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
- ^ "Babillon Tower, Batumi". SKYDB. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
- ^ "Azure in Batumi". Korter. July 2025. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
- ^ "Babillon Tower Hotel". Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH). Retrieved 24 August 2025.