Moscow City Towers vs. Skyscrapers in Other Areas

Whenever you talk about skyscrapers in Moscow, almost everyone immediately thinks of the grandiose "city of skyscrapers," Moscow City. The project, which occupies 60 hectares of land, was launched over 20 years ago. Today, Moscow City comprises approximately 20 sites, each with at least one tower rising at least 170 meters, while some reach heights of 250 meters and even 380 meters!

In Russia, high-rise buildings are generally considered to be those over 75 meters tall, meaning they have between 22 and 25 floors, depending on ceiling height. Buildings over 100 meters are considered unique construction projects. The fact that buildings over 300 meters tall worldwide are considered supertall gives Moscow City a special status in global architecture. Thus, the Moscow International Business Center, or simply MIBC, now only needs to reach the final milestone—a building over 600 meters tall that can confidently be considered ultratall. Currently, only three skyscrapers exist that tall: the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the Shanghai Tower in Shanghai, and the Royal Clock Tower in Mecca.

However, Moscow's skyscrapers aren't limited to the Moscow International Business Center (MIBC) near Presnenskaya Embankment, although, of course, such a concentration of such unique buildings is unmatched in any other district of the capital. A number of other buildings over 100 meters tall have already been commissioned or are under construction. Therefore, when discussing the quality of life in skyscrapers, it's worth taking a broader perspective, not limiting our focus to the Moscow-City multifunctional complexes.

To summarize, the quality of life in a skyscraper is determined primarily by its location and the class of the building itself. If it is an architectural masterpiece with its own developed infrastructure and located in a respectable area, the quality of life will undoubtedly be consistently high. However, if the building is a very tall but unremarkable apartment building, the negative aspects will outweigh the positives. To be clear, let's compare the potential comfort of living in elite skyscrapers in Moscow City and the surrounding areas with similar buildings of a lower class.

Ecosystem

As noted by those who have already experienced all the joys and disadvantages of skyscraper life, the main advantage of moving to a tower is the opportunity to enjoy all the benefits of civilization in one place, practically without leaving home.

Today, there's a clear trend toward large businesses expanding their ecosystems, allowing users to access multiple, diverse services simultaneously in a single location. Apple, Google, Yandex, and Mail.ru have all followed this path. All these well-known companies are constantly expanding their product lines, gradually creating an environment where, once they're in it, users never have to leave to complete their tasks. This is also true for the skyscrapers of Moscow City.

According to information obtained from a luxury real estate agency director, several foreign managers' contracts provide them with housing directly in the Moscow City towers where their companies' offices are located. This allows the executives to stay in the complex without ever leaving. After all, as the director noted, some Western specialists are still absolutely convinced that it's easy to spot a bear on the streets of Russia.

The classic set of services for luxury apartment complexes includes:

• fitness center;

• spas and beauty salons;

• restaurants and cafes ;

• cinema;

• dry cleaners;

• concierge service, etc.

Apartments in the Moscow City towers represent the highest level of luxury housing. Prices per square meter start at 450,000 rubles, while two-bedroom apartments can easily reach approximately 160 square meters, costing approximately 100 million rubles. Given the class of the property, it's entirely expected that owners won't skimp on designer renovations, quality materials, and appliances. Therefore, you can safely budget for an additional 30 million rubles. These owners are also willing to invest in additional amenities, which is why all Moscow City multifunctional complexes boast highly developed infrastructure. This infrastructure typically occupies several floors, and the cost of services fully reflects their premium quality. Therefore, an annual fitness center membership can cost 200,000 rubles.

Meanwhile, in other districts of Moscow, construction projects for residential complexes over 150 meters tall are underway and under development. Not all of these are positioned as premium-class properties, and in some, apartments are categorized as lower-end business-class apartments, which discerning buyers might even consider comfort-class. The price per square meter in such residential complexes is almost half that of luxury skyscrapers, ranging from 250,000 to 300,000 rubles. However, this means that developers are unable to allocate large areas for infrastructure. Therefore, the ground floor of such buildings is traditionally occupied by shops, pharmacies, and sometimes cafes and kindergartens. As a result, one of the key benefits of living in a skyscraper—the ecosystem—is lost.

The price per square meter of housing in the towers varies depending on the floor, with the difference between the price per square meter on the top floor and the bottom floor being as high as 35%. This is the price of a beautiful view from the window, which is also driven by high demand and low supply.

Impressive architecture

The skyscrapers of Moscow City certainly deserve the title of architecturally impressive buildings. But the same can't always be said of many other high-rise buildings. This isn't due to a lack of imagination or skill on the part of the architects designing them, but to the rather strict financial constraints that severely curtail the expression of an architect's talent. Most attempts to imbue the façade with originality and elegance are abruptly curtailed by demands for cost-effectiveness. Clients demand the elimination of any "excesses," the use of simple materials, uniform windows, and so on.

Therefore, although construction requirements are the same for all properties, including premium ones, the architectural solutions, types of materials used, features of utility systems, level of building amenities, and quality of finishes vary significantly. This explains the significant difference in the cost per square meter of living space.

Thus, premium skyscrapers are distinguished by:

• complex, memorable forms, the presence of inclined planes;

• a winning type of structural glazing;

• mechanical supply and exhaust ventilation, often with an air humidification function;

• central air conditioning system with a capacity of 35-40 W/sq.m and the possibility of installing indoor units;

• virtually invisible floor convectors, which improve the interior;

• electricity supply within 20-35 kW/apartment;

• a large number of elevators (on average, there is 1 elevator for 30 apartments and it has a speed of 6-8 m/s);

• a large number of parking spaces (on average 2 spaces per apartment).

At the same time, similar high-rise business-class buildings have:

• simple forms, usually with strict vertical lines;

• curtain wall made of concrete slabs or panels;

• mechanical exhaust ventilation with natural air flow;

• only the possibility of installing indoor units in apartments, which reduces comfort in the summer heat;

• traditional heating radiators;

• power supply capacity 10-15 kW/apartment;

• 1 elevator, designed for 60 apartments and having a speed of 2.5 m/s;

• 1 parking space for 2 apartments

As a result, it is easy to see that the higher cost per square meter in premium high-rise buildings provides residents with significant advantages in terms of quality of life and amenities.

Elevator wait time

Elevators in premium skyscrapers reach speeds of up to 6-8 m/s. Such a fast ride often causes a slight earache, but this is perhaps their only drawback.

Moreover, in luxury buildings, a single elevator serves only half as many apartments as in lower-end residential complexes. Therefore, travel time in the latter takes significantly longer. This isn't just due to the speed of the elevator, but rather the number of people in the elevator. Therefore, in buildings that aren't premium, there are often traffic jams at the elevators during rush hour, and ascending to the desired floor or descending requires the elevator to stop repeatedly to let people in and out.

Swinging

When designing and constructing skyscrapers, particular attention is always paid to the safety of supporting structures. This necessitates a whole host of additional calculations, including mathematical modeling of aerodynamic impacts, calculations for progressive impacts, and others. But even this doesn't allow designers to completely circumvent the laws of physics.

Therefore, all high-rise buildings sway even in the absence of strong winds, which can be accompanied by slight creaking and swaying of suspended objects. An experiment was even conducted using two laser levels and a regular ruler. They were installed on the roof of a Moscow City skyscraper: the levels at the edges, and the ruler in the center. The beams from both devices were aimed at the ruler. The results showed that the laser levels did not match, as they would in a regular building, but showed a difference of 5 mm.

Building codes allow for building sway, but the tilt must not exceed 1/500 of its height. This means that a 100-meter building can tilt by 20 cm, while for the 374-meter "East" section of the Federation Tower, the permissible tilt is 70 cm. This sway is unnoticeable to most people, and the creaking sounds are caused by the finishing elements, not the supporting structures. The same cannot be said for the acceleration experienced by a person when a skyscraper sways.

According to building codes, it cannot exceed 0.08 m/ ^s2 . If this value exceeds this level, a person may not only feel discomfort but also experience serious difficulties writing. If acceleration values increase significantly, most people lose the ability to walk independently, and the building begins to collapse. However, to be fair, it should be noted that building sway can only be felt from the 37th floor for buildings 40-50 stories high.

Air conditioning

At altitudes above 75 meters, air conditioning becomes a critical issue, especially in the summer, especially when windows face the sunny side. In such situations, even central air conditioning systems operating at full capacity don't always provide relief from the heat for residents of glass skyscrapers. One penthouse owner reported being forced to install 12 additional air conditioners to supplement the existing fan coil units.

This is entirely expected, as even high-quality glass in panoramic windows can transmit a significant amount of solar radiation. Only blackout curtains or blinds can improve the situation. Moreover, the air conditioning capacity in premium skyscrapers is greater than in similar business-class buildings.

Inability to open windows

Those who decide to live in a skyscraper need to be prepared for the fact that they won't be able to open a window and let in fresh air. Building codes don't allow for full opening. At best, a window can only be slightly opened.

The fresh air supply issue in premium skyscrapers is addressed by installing mechanical supply ventilation, which draws air from the high-rise technical floors. This means it will be relatively clean, as carbon monoxide levels at 100 meters are 100 times lower than at ground level. At the same time, the content of suspended particles smaller than 10 microns in the air is also reduced, dropping by 15 times by the 10th floor.

Even luxury apartments have a single air exchange. This is usually sufficient, but some people take additional measures to increase the air exchange rate.

A significant drawback of mechanical supply ventilation is the low humidity of the supplied air. While this issue is addressed in luxury skyscrapers by investing millions in a central humidification system, lower-end buildings will have to address dry air themselves by installing a humidifier in the air conditioning system or purchasing appliances.

Furthermore, business-class buildings, and especially comfort-class buildings, do not have supply ventilation due to the high costs involved. Therefore, they only have exhaust ventilation with fans, and fresh air enters the premises through special valves in the windows or walls.

Fire safety

Fire safety issues are given special attention in high-rise buildings of all classes. Therefore, residents of the Moscow City towers and more modest residential skyscrapers can not only regularly observe fire safety system tests but also participate in them.

Standards require the installation of a sprinkler system in each apartment, and fire alarms in each apartment. All skyscrapers are equipped with loudspeakers for evacuation notifications. However, if an owner wishes to make changes to such engineering systems in their building, they will need to obtain approval from the management company responsible for the building's fire safety systems. The cost of even a minor modification, such as relocating a few sprinklers, can reach 500,000 rubles or more.

Emotional component

Emotions play a major role in purchasing premium real estate. Therefore, if a complex evokes excitement and a genuine desire to become part of its life, all the aforementioned features and drawbacks will fade into the background. For this reason, many experienced brokers don't overly emphasize the advantages and disadvantages of the property being presented, but rather try to organize the viewing so that the potential buyer can spend a few hours in the apartment or flat and have some time alone. Afterwards, it's a good idea to tour the entire complex, assess the existing infrastructure and its development prospects, as well as the building's vibrant energy.

If we're talking about buying a home in a skyscraper, but one that doesn't boast the vibrant energy of a business center, exquisite architecture, or a highly developed, diverse infrastructure, especially if it's not located in the city's best area, then there aren't many reasons to experience intense emotions.

However, any skyscraper, even a comfort-class one, is:

• absolute silence in the apartments on the upper floors of the building, where the constant noise of the city does not reach;

• the purest air, which some compare to mountain air, which is not without a grain of truth, since dust and soot particles do not reach the 40th floor;

• superb views from the windows

Finally, it's worth noting that people who live at an altitude of over 150 meters for 70 years will live one hundredth of a second longer than those who live closer to the ground due to gravitational time dilation.