Moscow’s Mercury City is now highest tower in Europe

A new 339-metre tall tower, Mercury City in Moscow’s financial district has not been certified as Europe’s tallest tower. Building industry monitor Emporis has stated that the basic construction of the tower has now reached its full height, and therefore takes over the mantle of the highest in the continent from the 310 metre tall The Shard, which opened in London earlier this year.

 

Mercury City: The338-metre tower, sheathed in copper-coloured glass, became Europe's tallest when it exceeded London's 310-metre Shard.

The copper-coloured glass sheathed tower had actually overtaken The Shard in September while still under construction.

Though it is not a well known fact, Moscow actually has five of the top ten current skyscrapers in Europe. In fact Mercury City is slated to have a short reign with the 506 m tall Federation Tower, also in Moscow slated to soar past it sometime next year.

Mercury City Tower, being developed by Russian billionaire Igor Kesaev, will go up to 70 storeys, and have five floors below ground. It will be a mixed-use building with both commercial offices and residential units.

According to the tower’s architects, Frank Williams & Partners Architects, M.M. Posokhin, and G.L. Sirota, Mercury City is also Moscow’s first ‘green’ building, designed to use less water and electricity by collecting melting water and providing daylight in 75% of workspaces. Also 10% of the construction material was transported from within a 300 km radius from the site.