July 5, 2012: 10 Tallest Buildings in Europe (The Shard Becomes the Tallest Building in Europe)

A Brief History

On July 5, 2010, the City of London, England could boast of having the tallest building in Europe, when the 95 story (storey if you are English) “Shard” was completed. Alas, London could make the claim of having the tallest European building only for a year, when the Mercury City Tower in Moscow, Russia passed it in 2013. In fact, recent years have seen frequent changes in buildings claiming to be the tallest in Europe, and here we list the 10 Tallest Buildings in Europe (as of July 2017). (In deference to European sensitivities, we are noting height in meters.) Incredibly, 7 of the 11 tallest buildings in Europe are in Moscow, all built since 2005. In the Top 10, only the Shard in London and 3 skyscrapers all circa 2017 from Istanbul, Turkey, join Moscow as having a building in the 10 Tallest Buildings in Europe, and Istanbul has #12 as well. (Triumph Place, Moscow, ranks #11, and Istanbul Sapphire ranks #12.) Wow!

Digging Deeper

1. Federation Tower (East Tower) Moscow, Russia, 2016, 373.7m.

Owned by a Russian company called AEON, the Federation Tower is set to open in 2017. In Russian, the word “East” is “Vostok.” Although the Tallest Building in Europe, the Federation Tower is only the 36^th Tallest Building in the World.

2. OKO (South Tower) Moscow, Russia, 2015, 354.1 m.

3. Mercury City Tower, Moscow, Russia, 2013, 338.8m.

With a three part stepped structure and an exterior of gold colored glass, the Mercury City Tower is a striking visage on the Moscow skyline. It was the Tallest Building in Europe from 2012 to 2015.

4. The Shard, London, England, UK, 2012, 309.6.

Originally called the London Bridge Tower, and also called The Shard of Glass or Shard London Bridge, this beautiful glass sided spire was designed by Italian Renzo Piano, and is owned by The State of Qatar (95%). The Shard is only the 111^th Tallest Building in the World at the time of this article.

5. Eurasia Tower, Moscow, Russia, 2014, 308.9m.

Owned by Russia’s VTB Bank, the Eurasia boasts a 1000 car parking garage. The Eurasia Tower was designed by New York architects, Swanke Hayden Connel., the same firm that designed Trump Tower in New York.

6. CoC: Moscow Tower, Moscow, Russia, 2010, 301.6m.

The first of the European skyscrapers to be a member of the “Supertall Skyscraper” club, an unofficial designation of any building at least 300 meters tall, the CoC had a reign as the Tallest Building in Europe only for 2 years. (Note: CoC stands for “City of Capitals.”)

7. Skyland Istanbul 1, Istanbul, Turkey, 2017, 293.1m.

Designed by Peter Vaughan of global architects, Broadway Malyan (offices all over the world), Skyland Istanbul 1 and 2 are the only twin towers on this list of the same height. (Normally, one or the other in supposedly twin towers is actually a bit taller than the other.)

8. Skyland Istanbul 2, Istanbul, Turkey, 2017, 293.1m.

The owners/investors are still looking for more investors, so get your piggy bank and run to Istanbul!

9. Metropol, Istanbul, Turkey, 2017, 280m.

Designed by architecture firm RMJM, the Metropol is the largest project of the International Financial Center in Istanbul, an attempt to create a major world financial hub. Owners expect 23 million visitors per year.

10. Naberezhnaya Tower C, Moscow, Russia, 2007, 268.4m.

The Tallest Building in Europe until the CoC Moscow Tower surpassed it, the building is owned by a Turkish firm, City Center Investments (ENKA in Turkish). Interestingly, IBM is the largest tenant, and the next 5 largest tenants are all American companies. RTKL and ENKA designed the complex, consisting of Towers A, B and C, interconnected by a common basement.

Question for students (and subscribers): What is going on in Moscow and Istanbul? If you know, share the information with your fellow readers in the comments section below this article.

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