Skyscraper of the Day: Meet The Federation Tower

The Federation Tower is a complex of two skyscrapers built on the 13th lot of the Moscow International Business Center in Moscow, Russia. The two skyscrapers are named Tower East or Vostok, 97 stories and Tower West or Zapad, 63 stories. The supertall skyscraper Tower East (Vostok) stands 373 meters tall and is currently the second-tallest skyscraper in Europe and Russia after the Lakhta Center, the tallest building in Moscow, and the 55th-tallest building in the world.

The two towers stand on the same mixed-use plinth. The most recognizable high-rise landmark in Moscow, Federation Tower has a memorable silhouette in the form of two glass sails which face one another. The design is based on the concept of the vertical city, which was realized here for the first time in the history of modern Russia. The façades of the towers, which have a complex geometrical shape, are fully glazed, as is the six-storey podium. For the towers the architects have used high-quality steel-structure glazing without visible profiles; this underlines the uniform appearance of the façade as a whole. In view of the local weather conditions, the architects have used glazing units with triple safety glass. In places, the glass has been printed with a polychrome cloud motif in order to conceal the load-bearing structures. The façades of the top floors of the two towers are distinguished by their steeply inclined shape. At night, the façades are illuminated throughout; on holidays the illumination is based on a special concept.

The podium contains five basement storeys and six storeys above ground. Out of this rectangle grows a lens shape, which is visible from the 7th floor upwards. Between the seventh and tenth floors the two towers are joined together by a bridge to form a single unit. From this point upwards the two towers of unequal height rise separately. The 373.7-metre, 95-storey-high Tower East contains office space on 57 floors and apartments on 23 floors. The five upper storeys are being occupied by food outlets and a fitness club. The 63 storeys of the lower Tower West, which is approximately 242.4 metres high, divide into 38 storeys of office space, 11 storeys containing apartments, and four top storeys for other functions, including a swimming pool and a restaurant. Both towers have a triangular layout of equal size with a contour which bows slightly outwards.