CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Halvorson and Partners, structural engineer, in collaboration with London-based Foster and Partners and the STT Group of Moscow, celebrated the ground breaking for the Russia Tower in Moscow on September 18, 2007. Expected to be Europe’s tallest building when completed in 2012, this Supertall Structure will redefine the Moscow skyline. "It was a pleasure working with such a talented design team and dedicated developer on this amazing structure. Being part of the design so early in the process enabled us to really push the envelope with this structural system. We're proud to have been included in the groundbreaking celebration as it signifies this tower is one step closer to reality,” said Robert Halvorson, principal of Halvorson and Partners. Located in the Moska City development area, the 129-story (1,970 ft. tall) building will be 516 feet taller than the roof of the Sears Tower. Halvorson and Partners worked closely with Foster and Partners to create a structural concept that would make the building owner’s design request a reality. The 3,700,000 square-foot mixed-use tower will rise from a triangular site as three tapered wings radiating from a central core and will house apartments, a hotel, offices and retail space. The innovative structural system for this distinct form has been coined a 'braced spine' system. It is an extremely efficient concept for super-tall structures and was developed in a collaborative process between Halvorson and Partners and Foster and Partners as a direct response to the design challenges and opportunities presented by this project. Similar to a cable stayed mast, this system utilizes sloping members to brace a central spine. However, instead of tension cables, the brace members are concrete columns arranged in a fan shape. They are visually expressed on the exterior and prop the central concrete core against wind loads as well as carry gravity loads. Demonstrating its dedication to sustainable growth, the tower will use photovoltaic cells in the upper structure to produce electricity that can be fed back into the city’s power grid. The tower will also feature systems to collect rainwater and snow to help reduce the freshwater required and to harness the heat created by offices in the winter and the cooling properties of the ground in summer to reduce energy demand.
