15 tallest buildings in Russia

Review of the best according to the editorial board. On the selection criteria. This material is subjective, does not constitute advertising and does not serve as a purchase guide. Before buying, you need to consult with a specialist.

About a hundred years ago, skyscrapers were considered buildings that reached 50-60 meters in height, the first of which was the ten-story Home Insurance Building in Chicago. Soon, high-rise construction became popular in many countries, and even under the Soviet Union, several impressive structures were built, nicknamed “Stalin's skyscrapers.” For a long time they were the only such buildings on the territory of Russia, but over the past twenty years the situation has changed dramatically. One after another, modern steel and glass towers began to appear, and now there are more than a hundred buildings in the country from a hundred meters or more. Our rating includes the fifteen tallest skyscrapers in Russia.

Rating of the tallest buildings in Russia

Nomination	a place	Building	Height
Rating of the tallest buildings in Russia	1	Residential complex “House on Mosfilmovskaya”, building 1	213 m.
	2	Skyscraper “Empire”	239 M.
	3	Main building of Moscow State University	240 M.
	4	MFC “Federation”, West Tower	242 M.
	5	Evolution Tower	250 M.
	6	MFC “Oko”, North Tower	254 M.
	7	Complex “City of Capitals”, tower “St. Petersburg”	257 M.
	8	Skyscraper “Triumph Palace”	264 M.
	9	Complex “Tower on the Embankment”, tower C	268 M.
	10	Complex “City of Capitals”, tower “Moscow”	302 M.
	11	Skyscraper “Eurasia”	309 M.
	12	MFC “Mercury Tower”	339 M.
	13	MFC “Oko”, South Tower	354 M.
	14	MFC “Federation”, East Tower	374 M.
	15	Lakhta Center	462 M.

15th place – residential complex “House on Mosfilmovskaya”, building 1

Rating: 3.6

The main tower of the complex has 52 floors and is 213 meters high. The complex stands apart in the Ramenki area; it consists of two towers united by a seven-story section. The section houses a restaurant, a trading floor and offices. At a cursory glance, the illusion of a skyscraper tilt is created, thus the architect embodied the idea of ​​dynamism and lightness of the structure, which combines modern expressionism with postmodern style. The facade of the tower is faced with light natural stone. In 2012, when the skyscraper was commissioned, it was awarded several prestigious architecture awards. The upper floors of the elite residential complex offer a picturesque view of the Moscow River, Moscow State University and Poklonnaya Gora.

14th place – Skyscraper “Empire”

Rating: 3.7

“Empire” is a 60-storey skyscraper with a height of 239 meters, designed according to the concept of a vertical city. The building is located in the Moscow City business center, on Presnenskaya embankment. The project was created by the famous American architectural firm NBBJ in the current high-tech style. The construction took place over four years and was completed in 2011. Inside the complex there are both commercial and residential premises: offices, trading rooms, a fitness center, a hotel with almost three hundred rooms and about two hundred luxury apartments. The total area of ​​the skyscraper exceeds 203 thousand square meters. It is served by thirty high-speed KONE elevators.

13th place – the main building of Moscow State University

Rating: 3.8

The main building of Moscow State University is a classic example of the Stalinist Empire style and is one of the famous seven Soviet high-rises. The monumental symmetrical structure rises 240 meters, taking into account the spire. Boris Iofan initially worked on the architectural project, then he was removed from his post and the work was continued by a team of architects led by Lev Rudnev. The reason for Iofan's removal from office was his principled position regarding the location of the future building of Moscow State University. According to many experts, the place he insisted on was not reliable enough to provide a stable foundation for such a colossal structure. Construction proceeded at a rapid pace with the involvement of thousands of labor camp prisoners. Built in 1953, the building was the tallest in Moscow for 50 years. It is still considered one of the main symbols of the capital and is included in the fund of cultural heritage of the Russian Federation.

12th place – MFC “Federation”, West Tower

Rating: 3.9

The western skyscraper of the Federation complex is 242 meters high, the lower of two towers standing on the same base. Built in 2008, the 62-storey complex has become the most important part of the Moscow City business district. Due to its first-class infrastructure and attractiveness for tenants, the skyscraper was soon awarded several prestigious awards, including for winning the Real Estate Records competition. The tower contains both office space and residential apartments (in the upper part), as well as a high-rise restaurant “Sixty”. The stylobate is reserved for trading floors. The total area of ​​the building is 112 thousand square meters. Moving on floors is provided by 6 high-speed elevators and 11 twin system elevators.

11th place – Tower “Evolution”

Rating: 4.0

Skyscraper “Evolution” is distinguished by its amazing shape, twisting in a spiral, each floor is rotated in comparison with the previous one by three degrees. The facade is stylized as a DNA molecule and represents evolutionary development. The author of the project is the architect Tony Kettle, managing director of the international architectural firm RMJM. The most original of the towers of the International Business Center is 250 meters high and has 55 floors. Its area is 154 thousand square meters. During the construction of the building, which ended in 2014, an innovative cold-formed glazing technology was applied for the first time in Moscow. This made it possible to make the facade durable and visually smooth, despite its complex shape.

10th place – MFC “Oko”, North Tower

Rating: 4.1

The northern skyscraper of the Oko multifunctional complex is a 49-storey minimalist building. The beveled edges allowed to give individuality to the simple geometric shape of the facade. The tower is 254 meters high and houses class A offices and luxury housing (individual apartments have an area of ​​about 300 square meters). The building is connected with the south tower by a crystal-like stylobate, by the way, that is why the complex was named “Eye” (united by a crystal of the base). At the base there are retail premises, a gym, restaurants and conference rooms. The American architectural firm Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, known primarily for creating the world's tallest skyscraper, the Burj Khalifa, worked on the project.

9th place – Complex “City of Capitals”, tower “St. Petersburg”

Rating: 4.2

The St. Petersburg Tower, which is part of the City of Capitals complex, stands out for its memorable design. The shape of the facade imitates huge cubes stacked on top of each other and displaced in a random order. This solution made it possible to embody the idea of ​​dynamism, continuous movement. The authorship of the project belongs to Eric van Egeraat from the American company NBBJ. The building was under construction from 2005 to 2009. The high-tech skyscraper is 257 meters high and has 65 floors. A large part of it is reserved for office premises, and above them there are luxury residential apartments. At the bottom of the building, an 18-story business center connects it to the adjacent tower. The skyscraper is equipped with 22 elevators.

8th place – Skyscraper “Triumph Palace”

Rating: 4.3

The residential high-rise building is located in the Khorosheevsky district, before the construction of the Moscow City business district it was the tallest building in the capital for a long time. A group of Russian architects from the Tromos bureau worked on the Triumph Palace project. In its shape, the skyscraper repeats the style of the “seven sisters”, moreover, when designing the structure, specialists often used archival drawings of Stalin's skyscrapers. In total, the building has nine sections, the highest of which, 57-storey, reaches 264 meters. Construction work was completed in 2006. The most difficult structural element was the 53-meter spire weighing more than 40 tons – it had to be delivered upward in parts using an Mi-10 helicopter. The house has about a thousand apartments, and the upper floors are occupied by a hotel. The stylobate part is reserved for public premises such as a fitness center, beauty salon, bank, dry cleaning, and so on. Apartments in “Triumph-Palace” are considered one of the most prestigious in Moscow, many apartments here belong to the stars of sports, cinema and show business.

7th place – Complex “Tower on the Embankment”, tower C

Rating: 4.4

The complex includes three buildings, the highest of which is block C. The skyscraper is intended for office use, it meets the highest class A standards for office space. The building is 268 meters high and has 60 floors and five underground levels. About 108 thousand square meters of internal space is intended for rent, and a little more than a thousand square meters are occupied by the trading rooms on the first floor. Currently, offices are rented mainly by large companies, both Russian and foreign.

6th place – Complex “City of Capitals”, tower “Moscow”

Rating: 4.5

The skyscraper “Moscow” is one of the towers of the high-rise complex “City of Capitals”, representing the two most important cities in Russia. The architecture of the 76-storey building is identical to the St. Petersburg tower – an incredible facade made of glass cubes displaced horizontally in relation to each other. The height of the building is 302 meters. Shortly after completion, it won the prestigious Emporis Skyscraper Award and was named one of the ten best skyscrapers in the world. The interior of the building has been converted into offices and luxury living quarters, while the stylobate, which unites the two towers, houses shops, spas and a fitness center. 42 lifts are delivered to the height of residents and employees.

5th place – Skyscraper “Eurasia”

Rating: 4.6

The Eurasia Tower, also called the “Steel Top”, is the only skyscraper on the territory of the international complex with a steel rather than reinforced concrete frame. The facade of the building has a simple, laconic shape, thanks to the emerald glazing, it is recognizable. Designed by Swanke Hayden Connell Architects. The height of the building is 309 meters, it has 76 floors, to move between which 39 modern elevators are used. The Eurasia skyscraper is divided into three zones: luxury residential apartments, international office premises and a commercial and recreational zone located at the very bottom.

4th place – MFC “Mercury Tower”

Rating: 4.7

The skyscraper's futuristic shape and golden façade made it the most prominent building in Moscow City. The building has 75 floors and rises 339 meters above the ground. The construction of the skyscraper lasted from 2009 to 2013 and was designed by Frank Williams, whose work significantly influenced the architectural appearance of modern Manhattan. The building is multifunctional, it combines class A office space with a plus and prestigious residential apartments. About 20 thousand square meters are allocated for the latter in the “Mercury Tower”. A feature of the skyscraper is the presence of the highest media facade in Russia.

3rd place – MFC “Oko”, South Tower

Rating: 4.8

The southern building of the Oko multifunctional complex (united by a crystal of the base) is a modern minimalist structure. The façade design by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill has won an honorary award from a prestigious international competition. The 85-storey tower is 354 meters high and is intended for luxury residential apartments of various sizes. In addition, the skyscraper houses a hotel with approximately 300 rooms.

2nd place – MFC “Federation”, East Tower

Rating: 4.9

The tallest skyscraper of the capital, being 95-storey, is currently the leader in all of Russia and Europe in this indicator, and the second highest, which is 374 meters. The elegant high-tech building was designed by renowned architects Peter Schweger and Sergey Tchoban. Thanks to the use of high-strength concrete during construction, the building is able to withstand even an airplane impact, like the one that happened in New York in 2001. The eastern tower of the complex is famous for its Panorama 360 observation deck, which offers a magnificent view of the center of Moscow.

1st place – Lakhta Center

Rating: 5.0

Lakhta Center holds the palm in height not only in Russia, but also in Europe. Its top rises above St. Petersburg by as much as 462 meters. The project of the giant structure was developed by the British architectural bureau Robert Matthew Johnson Marshal, followed by revision by the Russian Gorproekt. During the construction, a record was set: the builders poured over 19 and a half thousand cubic meters of concrete within 49 hours. The building is owned by Gazprom and contains the company's headquarters, offices, an innovative medical center, a panoramic restaurant and many other establishments. The inner area of ​​the skyscraper reaches 400 thousand square meters. On the top floor there is an observation deck from where you can admire the views of the northern capital.

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Attention! This rating is subjective and does not constitute an advertisement and does not serve as a purchase guide. Before buying, you need to consult with a specialist.