Moscow news
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30-Sep-2007
Mayor Lays Tower Foundation Stone
On Tuesday Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov personally laid a ceremonial foundation to the Russia Tower. The 612-meter pyramidal building designed by famous architect Sir Norman Foster will become the tallest skyscraper in Europe and the third largest building in the world.
Foster, who also took part in the ceremony, said that the unusual pyramidal form will make the tower both elegant and very stable. However, the official norms in Moscow city provide only for buildings up to 400 meters and the new tower will require separate calculation and assessments.
The 130-story tower will house residential space, offices and a major congress center, a hotel and an entertainment complex with an observation platform on the top seven floors. The building will have a total area of more than 470,000 square meters and its construction costs nearly $2 billion (1.4 billion euros).
The expensive project has already caused opposition in the city legislature. One of the deputies has started a campaign against the Russia Tower saying that it was too costly, dangerous and even that its very name could possibly attract terrorists. However, the developers and Sir Norman Foster himself insist that the project is extremely safe and can withstand fires and even a ramming with an aircraft.
At present, the tallest building in the world is the 508-meter Taipei 101 tower, but after the Burj Dubai is erected in the Emirates Taipei 101 will become second and the Russia Tower will be the third in the world, but the tallest skyscraper in Europe. The Russia Tower is expected to be completed by 2012.
The Moscow News