The New Tallest Building in Europe
By Lucas on Nov 07, 2012
Remember when Renzo Piano’s The Shard was the tallest building in Europe? That’s right, “was.” That was about four months ago, so obviously, another tower has surpassed it, and it’s called Mercury City Tower.
Currently under construction in the Moscow International Business Centre of Russia, Mercury City Tower was topped off earlier this month at roughly 1,111 feet—about 100 feet higher than The Shard. Construction began back in 2005, and completion is scheduled for the first quarter of 2013. Mercury City Tower will feature office space and luxury condo units.
Designed by Mikhail Posokhin and Frank Williams, Mercury City Tower is a prime example, or even THE example, of Russia’s current surge of state-of-the-art architecture. There are a number of skyscrapers under construction and planned for Moscow, so within the next couple decades, we might have a new internationally recognized skyline on our hands.
Mercury City Tower is simple but sleek, blending well with the contemporary aesthetic, all while resembling an intergalactic structure from the near future. This is the kind of tower we expect to see in a Ridley Scott movie or something – which is awesome, in case that isn’t obvious.
As of now, Mercury City Tower holds the record for the tallest tower in Europe, but will it last? Europe is quickly proposing soaring skyscrapers for many of its larger cities, so it’s only a matter of time before this building’s height is conquered. We give it a few months.
Although Europe’s tallest towers aren’t coming anywhere close to the world’s tallest —the Burj Khalifa in Dubai is more than double the height of Mercury City Tower—this is a sign that Europe has entered the race, and although it is a few feet back, it’s possible the continent might surprise everyone very soon.
What do you think of Mercury City Tower?
