MOSCOW, September 26 (RIA Novosti) - Russia’s Federation Tower East, a skyscraper located in the Moscow International Business Center, colloquially known as Moscow City, has become the tallest building in Europe, rising above two other buildings in Moscow City which previously held the title of Europe’s tallest building: OKO Apartment Tower and Mercury City Tower.
Still under construction, Federation Tower East has reached a height of 343 meters.
“We have reached this height precisely within the scheduled terms, at a pace of three stores a month,” Mikhail Smirnov, the Director General of the “Federation Tower” project said in a press release.
According to Smirnov, the tower is set to be completed and glazed by the end of this year. Next year, it is set to become fully operational.
Federation Tower is a complex featuring two towers built on one podium. Tower East is set to be a 97-storey structure, 373.7 meters in height. Tower West was completed in 2008; it is a 65-storey building which is 242.4 meters in height.
The complex will accommodate offices, hotel suites and apartments.
Currently, the 61st floor of Tower West houses the highest restaurant in Moscow.
The building is actively used as a sightseeing platform and the high-rise has been used by extreme sports lovers (base jumpers, climbers, etc.).
Before Federation Tower East rose above its neighbors, the tallest building in Europe was the nearby OKO Apartment Tower complex, which is 351.8 meters in height.
In 2012, Europe’s tallest building was Mercury City Tower, another Moscow City office building which topped out at 339 meters, overtaking The Shard, a 87-story skyscraper in London which is 309.6 meters in height.
In addition to Federation Tower East, the OKO Apartment Tower, and Mercury City Tower, Moscow City is home to four other buildings that are among the tallest in Europe: the Eurasia tower, City of Capitals: Moscow Tower, Naberezhnaya Tower C, and Triumph Palace. Together, they represent seven out of eight of Europe’s tallest buildings, along with London’s Shard.
