Russia Tower

Russia Tower Башня Россия
An artist's rendering of the completed Russia Tower
Information
Location	Moscow, Russia
Status	Cancelled
Groundbreaking	18 September 2007
Estimated completion	2012
Use	Mixed use
Height
Roof	609.5 m (2,000 ft)
Top floor	500 m (1,600 ft)
Technical details
Floor count	118
Floor area	520,000 m2 (5,600,000 sq ft)
Elevator count	101
Cost	over $2 billion
Companies
Architect	Foster + Partners
Structural Engineer	Halvorson and Partners
Contractor	Satori (site preparation) Soletanshstroy (Soletanche Bachy) (Diaphragm wall, 0 level)
Developer	Russian Land
Owner	Russian Land

The Russia Tower (Russian: Башня Россия; Bashnya Rossiya) is an unfinished supertall skyscraper,^[1] the construction of which is cancelled, in the Moscow International Business Centre of Moscow, Russia. Construction began in September, 2007, and was planned to be completed in 2012. If not cancelled it would be the fourth tallest building in the world after the Burj Dubai, the Shanghai Tower, the Pentominium, and the Chicago Spire unless cancelled. The total area of the structure would cover 520,000 m² (5,600,000 sq ft), of which 38% (approximately 200,000 m² (2,200,000 sq ft)) would be located underground. The tower would contain 118 floors, 101 elevators, and underground parking to accommodate 3,680 cars. Commercial retail shops would be located at the base of the building. The maximum capacity of the building was projected to be around 30,000.

Construction was halted in November 2008 due to financial difficulties. In February 2009, it was announced that the project has been suspended and that it is now unlikely that the tower, in its original form, will be built. In June 2009 the project was officially cancelled.

Features

Size of Russia Tower

The building's primary structure comprises three ‘arms’ that taper as they rise. They create a slender pyramidal form that achieves the maximum stability with the minimum structure and allows the most effective distribution of space. The higher floors containing residential and hotel accommodation are designed as a series of modular units that can be configured individually. At the summit, a public viewing deck with cafes and bars creates an attraction for visitors and residents, while an ice-rink and shops add to life at street level.^[2]

The environmental strategy harnesses a range of passive techniques and controls. Strategically, mixed-use offers a strong starting point, allowing energy balance throughout the day as people move between office and home. Structurally, the tower's slender profile creates shallow floorplates that maximise daylight penetration and increase the potential for natural ventilation. The triple-glazed, high-performance facade reduces heat loss; photovoltaics supply the building’s energy needs and feed electricity back into the city grid; energy recycling reduces heating demand by 20 percent; and snow and rain water harvesting is expected to cut fresh water consumption for toilets by a third. Thus, socially and environmentally, Russia Tower offers a sustainable new solution to contemporary living.^[2]

History

Originally, Russia Tower was proposed for plots 2 and 3 of the Moscow International Business Centre in 1994 as the world's tallest building; a 648 m (2,130 ft), 125-story tower. It was designed by Chicago-based architectural firm Skidmore, Owings and Merrill. It was soon moved to plot 14. In the middle of 2003 an updated 648 m (2,130 ft), 134-story design had been moved to plots 17 and 18. In January 2004, the Moscow Development Company (STT Group) was appointed as the main investor and developer of the $2-billion project.^[3]

On 18 September 2007, the building's cornerstone was laid in an official groundbreaking ceremony.

The Russian news agency Interfax reported on 21 November 2008 that construction on the tower was to be halted.^[4] Shalva Chigirinsky, head of the tower's development company, indicated that the credit crisis of 2008 had left him unable to secure financing for the project and had also eviscerated demand for the tower's office space, even if the building were able to be completed.^[5]

On 3 December, Russian oil company Sibir Energy agreed to buy a number of real estate assets, including Russia Tower, from Chigirinsky. As Chigirinsky was a major shareholder in Sibir Energy, the purpose of the purchase was to alleviate financial pressures upon him, so that he would not be forced to sell his shares in the company, and thus enable the company to preserve its existing shareholder structure. However, many analysts decried the move, arguing that such use of the oil company's capital to assist Chigirinsky by purchasing his distressed real estate assets — which had no relation to the company's core oil business — at possibly inflated prices was detrimental to the company's shareholders and constituted a significant conflict of interest.^{[citation needed]}

Current status

On 12 February 2009, it was announced that the Russia Tower will most likely not be built. The project developer's assistant stated that, "In today's economy, a project of such scale is no longer feasible for us and can no longer be justified."^[6] In place of the tower, the company proposes to use the land to build three smaller skyscrapers and a large parking garage.^[7] 15 June 2009, officially was approved that it will never be built.

See also

• City Hall and City Duma
• Federation Tower
• Imperia Tower
• Mercury City Tower
• Eurasia (building)
• Moscow-City
• Crystal Island

References

External links

• Official Russia Tower site (English)
• Fosters and Partners official site (English)
• Halvorson and Partners Structural Engineers official site (English)
• Waterman Group official site (English)
• Additional Images at e-architect.co.uk (English)
• Facts on SkyscraperPage.com (English)
• Main SkyscraperCity discussion topic (Russian)
• English SkyscraperCity discussion topic (English)
• Facts & Pictures in Emporis (English)

Coordinates: 55°45′5″N 37°32′4″E / 55.75139°N 37.53444°E / 55.75139; 37.53444