Federation Tower

The Federation Tower (Russian: Башня Федерация, romanized: Bashnya Federatsiya) is a group of two very tall buildings called skyscrapers in Moscow, Russia. These buildings are part of the Moscow International Business Center. The two skyscrapers are named Tower East (Vostok, which means "East" in Russian) and Tower West (Zapad, which means "West" in Russian).

Tower East (Vostok) is very tall and is currently the second-tallest skyscraper in Europe and Russia. It is also the tallest building in Moscow and ranks as the 55th-tallest building in the world. Tower West (Zapad) is shorter than Tower East but is still very tall, being the eleventh-tallest building in Russia and the 22nd-tallest in Europe.

The buildings were designed by architect Sergei Tchoban and engineer Peter Schweger. Construction started in 2005, and Tower West was finished in 2008. Because of financial problems known as the Great Recession, building stopped for a while until 2011. Tower East was completed in December 2017. Although plans existed to add a tall spire to make the tower even higher, this was never built.

The Federation Tower is owned by a company called AEON Corporation. The two towers sit on a single base and are surrounded by three small roads and one larger road. Sadly, in July 2023, an aircraft crashed near the building, causing some damage to its front.

Tower East

The higher tower of the complex, located in the eastern part of lot number 13, was renamed Tower "Vostok (East)" in November 2006 to avoid name competition with Naberezhnaya Tower. Tower East is designed to have 95 above-ground and 3 underground floors, with 17 high-speed elevators. It uses special strong concrete to keep it very sturdy.

Construction started in 2005. In February 2007, workers set a new record by pouring a huge amount of concrete in just a few days. Later that year, a French climber Alain Robert climbed the tower solo. In November 2008, building stopped because of money problems from the Great Recession. Building started again in 2011. In April 2012, a big fire broke out on the 67th floor, but everyone was safely evacuated.

In December 2014, the tower reached its planned height of 374 meters (1,227 feet), becoming the tallest building in Russia and Europe at the time. In January 2017, the tallest elevator in Europe was installed. However, in October 2017, the Lakhta Center in St. Petersburg became taller, taking the title. Construction of Vostok finished in December 2017.

When completed, Vostok will have many uses, including offices, a five-star hotel, luxury apartments, shops, restaurants, and a public viewing platform. It will also feature the highest digital clock in the world.

Tower West

The lower tower of the Federation complex stands on the western part of lot 13 in the Moscow International Business Center. It was first called Tower "B", then renamed to Tower "Zapad (West)", and finally to Tower West in November 2006. Tower West is designed to have 62 stories above ground and four underground floors, along with many elevators.

Construction of Tower West began first in the entire Federation complex. Its height was increased from the original plans, and the shape of its core was changed during building. The tower was finished in early 2008.

Tower West will feature a hotel with a spa and a swimming pool. The 61st floor will hold the tallest restaurant in Moscow, named 'Sixty', operated by Ginza Project.

The tower received awards in 2009 for being an excellent office property and in 2011 as the top business center.

Notable residents

It is said that a leader from Syria and his family have a very large, two-story home in this building.

Construction gallery

Here are some pictures showing how the Federation Tower was built over the years. The construction started in 2006 and continued through many years, with photos taken on different dates to show the progress.

The images include views from June 2006 all the way to July 2016, capturing the growth of Tower B and the whole building. Each picture marks an important moment in the construction journey.