Guiding Lines: Exotic Offices
The building of architecturally unique office projects and those with complex engineering usually appear in countries where, for their creation, a legislative, material and technical base is in place. The skyscraper cities of America, Hong Kong, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are traditionally famous. Moscow developers also want to astonish the public with fantastically formed towers, but the slow Russian legislation system and Russian metallurgists with out-of-date technologies cannot keep up with them.
Office constructions like the 600-meter Federation Tower in Moscow-City is actually not especially unique by international measures. But big office skyscrapers and projects in the capital are few and far between.
Office skyscrapers have been undertaken by Enka (the Embankment Tower complex in Moscow-City) and Mirax Group (Federation Tower). CT Group also joins them with an administrative skyscraper for the government of Moscow in "Moscow-City" and Capital Group is building the City of Capitals multipurpose complex, also on the territory of the business center. For Moscow these projects are not traditional. For the first time since the start of the 1990s office skyscrapers are being built. And developers have to learn everything from the very beginning.
Recently Mirax Group, not having had time to start Federation, has decided to amaze everyone with another skyscraper: the Rotating Tower, a building with floors that turn on an axis. The company has announced that it has entered into an agreement with architect David Fisher, who has the patent for the concept of the project. The company is already looking for a site within the Third Transport Ring. Fisher is involved in a similar project in the UAE. The Moscow and Dubai towers are approximately in the same price category – from $330 million to $400 million. The prototype of these turning buildings appeared in 1999 by an idea of Swedish architect Johnny Orback, which initiated the construction of the residential Turning Torso tower in Malmo.
It is no secret that in Russia there are not enough modern building regulations and laws (national standards). I should say however that new chapters are being added to Moscow's building regulations (MGSN) from time to time. For example, in 2005, MGSN 4.19-05 entitled "Design of Multifunctional High-Rise Buildings and Building Complexes in the City of Moscow,” was added. But in federal and capital regulation codes things are still missing, for example, there are no single standards for designing metal constructions. And in the absence of up-to-date national regulations diligent developers will face problems in approvals.
At the same time some Moscow developers have started to build the framework of skyscrapers and other parts of the buildings from metal constructions (Federation, Mirax Group, Enka's towers). However, not all developers are in touch with new technologies. For example, North Tower company moulds its skyscrapers in Moscow-City from ferro-concrete. But the world moved to metal some decades ago. In the construction of the New York Empire State Building, built in 1931, 60,000 tonnes of steel were used. And the Turning Torso has a steel framework.
The regulations for the operation of buildings are very poor. Though national building standards should be the first document guaranteeing safety, they should not be the be all and end all. There should be federal level laws which would regulate the implementation of safety regulations in the designing, construction and operation of buildings. Developers know that Federal Law no. 184-FZ "On Technical Regulation" needs revising. The law "On the safety of buildings and constructions" for which the rights and duties of participants of projects is also not accepted.
There is popular opinion that the key to everything for construction in Moscow is administrative resources, or, in Russian, good communications. Even Enka started as a joint project between a Turkish company and the Moscow government. Not all developers have such a precious key. Perhaps, that is why there are still few office skyscrapers in the capital.
Moscow is a city of contrasts. It turns out, that any office building here can grow from the ground not in days, but in hours, contrary to, and despite of, everything. We should hope for the experience of foreign architects, which Moscow developers like to invite to participate in projects. David Fisher will not fail.