JOIN USAre you like me, a person who thinks of Moscow as a cold, drab city with ashen buildings? Well, perish that thought! The Federation Tower is set to change that. It is a state-of-the art high-rise in the heart of Moscow’s International Business Centre (MIBC).
More importantly, it is the tallest building in Europe. It is much more than a tall building that offers panoramic views. The project symbolises the new era of modern Moscow as a vibrant, bright, and rapidly growing city.
To put it succinctly, the Federation Tower is a real urban street – but vertical. Rather than calling it a skyscraper, it would be accurate to say that it is a complex of skyscrapers built in a lot of the MIBC. The project is the brainchild of Sergei Tchoban and Peter Schweger.
The complex consists of two towers built on one base. Tower East is going to be a 97-storey structure and Tower West, a 65-storey structure. The building will accommodate offices, hotel suites and apartments. There are three covered sky bridges between the East and West towers, which play home to restaurants and cafes. The building is a treasure of firsts. Currently, the 61st floor of the Tower West boasts of the highest restaurant in Moscow, ‘Sixty’ run by Ginza Project; the building also features the highest digital clock in the world.
The concrete used for the construction is twice as strong as regular concrete and the tower can withstand a direct hit from an aircraft.
In addition to the high strength concrete, three levels of steel outrigger truss systems work to strengthen the building by distributing gravity and wind loads between the core and perimeter framing. The buildings have tourism value as it is a sightseeing object for lovers of skyscrapers. Also, base jumpers and climbers throng there. It is a popular venue for shooting films, videos, TV shows and advertising shots. The Federation complex consists of two towers the Vostok Tower and the Zapad Tower.
They share a nine-storey podium. While the two buildings mirror each other in design, the Vostok tower is about 130 metres taller than the Zapad tower. Like many buildings of this size, underground linkages enhance how the building connects with the surrounding urban environment. Several levels below ground, the complex ties in with the Moscow Metro and a large shopping centre. Eventually, all of Moscow City is to be connected below grade, creating a truly “underground city.”