Architect Serhij Babushkin discloses more information on

UKRAINIAN INDEPENDENCE TOWER
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

- 67 above ground and 7 underground floors.

- Approximately 210 meters tall

- 245 large hotel rooms

- 420 V.I.P. residential apartments

- office space of as much as 8365 sq/m

- several exhibition centers

- several concert halls

- movie theaters

- observation deck

- parking for 2436 cars

- general space of the complex will be 150.000 sq/m

- Center of Ukrainian history and culture, representing every region of Ukraine.

This tower will complete the construction of main Ukrainian square, will is to become symbol of Ukraine and Kyiv.

History of this historic and famous square is very interesting and various in it's importance from time to time. There were many projects on the way how it should be reconstructed and I'll show them a bit later.

http://www.archunion.com.ua/img/st_002/st_002_01_b.jpg

http://www.archunion.com.ua/img/st_002/st_002_02_b.jpg

http://www.archunion.com.ua/img/st_002/st_002_06_b.jpg

http://www.archunion.com.ua/img/st_002/st_002_07_b.jpg

Wonderful tower ! i like coat of arms of Ukraine in top of tower ! and also colours of the rendering, hope it could be the same in real !

Looks fabulous. I hope this project goes ahead.

pan how is the chance that it will be topped out?
maybe it will be over 250m

Wow. One of the most modern tower I ever saw. The same I hope this project goes ahead.
The churches around plus this tower makes an impressive view.

Great design! This would be great for Kyiv if it gets built.

nice. but could do with doing one tiny week diet to shape up.

Wow!!!!!!!!! This Tower is sooooo cool! I hope they will start to construct it as soon as possible

wow, thats big.

In case anybody is interested, a little history on the location:


Historically, this part of Kyiv has not been the downtown, so to speak, of Kyiv. On in 1820's when construction of a huge military fort began ( which later on became useless ) more than thousand of residential buildings were destroyed and they settled in this area. These were mostly wealthy businessman as well as people of aristocracy. The area grew into becoming the finest of the finest, with such architecture that surprised any/all visitors of Kyiv, whether from the Empire's capital ( St.Petersburg ) or from Western EUropean capitals.

In the are of the skyscraper, or "Ukraina Hotel" was the extremely famous, elegant, very beautiful Gingzburg Building:

http://www.archunion.com.ua/img/st_003/st_003_05_b.jpg

In a similar design and magnitude, the entire Khreshatyk street ( the one going through Independence Square ) was built. Along it, on the left from the future Independence Tower as seen in these renderings, is the "Instituts'ka street" which carries it's own historical significance. For example, among other things, it is the street where Taras Shevchenko lived. Right next to the future skyscraper.

No this part of the city was it's modern downtown, while older downtown was left in Podil and other districts. However, the beautees of "modern downtown" of late 19th and early 20th century met the most horrible fate one could imagine.

When in 1941 germans occupied Kyiv, in 5 days the entire street with partially surrounding streets were blown up, by the soviets. This meaningless, horrible action destroyed this part of Kyiv, leaving hardly anything.

http://www.archunion.com.ua/img/st_003/st_003_10_b.jpg

Thus, the square and almost the entire second-downtown was open to either reconstruction or construction of something new. Ukrainian communists were glad to get rif of the signs of capitalism and were eager to plan new, magnificent, socialistic square.

Proposels:

http://www.archunion.com.ua/img/st_003/st_003_12_b.jpg

http://www.archunion.com.ua/img/st_003/st_003_11_b.jpg

However, they were all rejected by Moscows officials. And the square proceeded with the plan which existed up to modern days.

Now the actual Ukraine Hotel has the very symbolic fate. Local, Ukrainian architects wanted to build a tall, Stalinistic hotel, resembling it's Moscows counterparts
http://www.archunion.com.ua/img/st_003/st_003_15_b.jpg

But the decision from Moscow came that it must be much shorter and the top to be cut off.

The reason why all the architects wanted a tall building on this place, was that Kyiv always needed a single symbol, not many 1000 year old Churches and Monuments each being more important than 100 skyscrapers, but something recognizeable, to be seen from all Khreshatyk and other areas of downtown Kyiv. Which was destroyed and constructed in entirely, new design, which had nothing in common with the old Kyiv - unfortunately, in my opinion. But one can't disagree with the Kyiv's architects of 1930's and then 1950's to build a tall, symbol there.

Instead, this was built:
http://www.archunion.com.ua/img/st_003/st_003_20_b.jpg

A sort of reminder for Kyiv and Ukraine, that it's not the capital, that THIS IS WHAT KYIV IS TODAY ( during Soviet Union ) - a commieblock, slightly larger than a regular commieblock. Just another soviet city, not any significant, not Ukrainian capital but this grey commieblock.

This failed project, turned down by Moscow was and still is visible to Kyivians for over 40 years and now the chance is here to alter it.

This is NOT another great skyscraper , this is the Eiffel Tower ( as mentioned by Mikael before, thanks! ) of Kyiv, which also wasn't liked at first and I'm sure this skyscraper will be criticized for another 10 years after it gets built.

The actual skyscraper and everything about it is very symbolic. The whole skyscraper as you can see is modeled after Ukrainian flag, it is to be seen from everywhere in Kyiv as the symbol of our final and ETERNAL Independence. It is the constrant reminder of the past and the present.

It is the skyscraper of such characteristics that would have never been built in Ukraine if not for the Independence.

It is the enormous flag of Ukraine with a huge Tryzub on top that will stand proudly over Kyiv and say to anyone who looks at it "UKRAINE IS INDEPENDENT"

damn nice design i hope it gets built.

nice tower :)

The forms of tower seem a bit outdated. Could fit in Moscow very well between all those postmodern skyscrapers.

The "form" is unique and resembles a flag. Such design was never implemented anywhere, especially in Moscow.

Something that is done for the first time cannot be "outdated".

the colors are sort of flashy but seem to fit well in the city, looks like a really interesting project

Can you build it in Istanbul? I love it!!

As much as I like the design I don't like the location for it.
Surrounding looks perfect as it is: rather low historical bldgs
and gentle hills.
I'd rather see this skyscraper in some other
spot, in Kiev of course.

I agree with artoor: the design is really cool, but it's location is completely wrong. It doesn't fit to the historic surrounding, it would be better to build it in the other part of the city.

Can't see the pics.

Now I can. Looks very Vegas style. Strange colours. Interesting...

:eek2:

The "form" is unique and resembles a flag. Such design was never implemented anywhere, especially in Moscow.

Something that is done for the first time cannot be "outdated".

Maybe ambitions to make building like flag haven't realised until now. Although approach to make buildings looking like other things - that's really postmodernistic. Also these forms - they could be actual 15-20 years ago. Now it looks real oldschool.

The "form" is unique and resembles a flag. Such design was never implemented anywhere, especially in Moscow.

you are completely wrong. modern form is easy applying to moscow. and blue and yellow is dominate colors of IBC and moscow architecture.;)

The tower looks good enough, but the location is chosen really bad, IMHO :ohno:

Maybe ambitions to make building like flag haven't realised until now. Although approach to make buildings looking like other things - that's really postmodernistic. Also these forms - they could be actual 15-20 years ago. Now it looks real oldschool.

Perhaps, but the ideal of a skyscraper being a symbol of Ukrainian Independence is more important than the fact that "approach to make buildings looking like other things - that's really postmodernistic."

http://www.archunion.com.ua/img/st_006/st_006_03.jpg

Impressive!

Gosh! This is awesome!

hope its built because its beautiful

Very cool! I like the shape. :cool:

fantastic

I love it!

Moscow style, but very impressiv!!!

Hot stuff. I love the glass.

Impressive! I hope it will be built! But as is said, I'm not really sure about the location. It really dwarfs all surrounding historic buildings (or are they actually not as historic as they seem?). Even the obelisk looks tiny on the renderings. On the other side: you describe that this location was always planned to have a big and impressive building, so this would be a great way to fill in that old wish. Ukraine Independence Tower, I'm all for it!

Moscow style, but very impressiv!!!
:lol: Even if Moscow had it's own "style", this wouldn't fit into it.

I know, it doesn't look at all like anything in Moscow. Where is that coming from, I don't know. The only skyscrapers built in Moscow were those 7 or so in 1950's, they don't look anything alike.

Anyway, off topic.

Impressive! I hope it will be built! But as is said, I'm not really sure about the location. It really dwarfs all surrounding historic buildings (or are they actually not as historic as they seem?). Even the obelisk looks tiny on the renderings. On the other side: you describe that this location was always planned to have a big and impressive building, so this would be a great way to fill in that old wish. Ukraine Independence Tower, I'm all for it!

Yes, there was planned to build a skyscraper in 1930's and then after the war in 1950's, but Moscow said "no!" and instead something really ugly which can be observed today was built in the place and called "moscow hotel". This very fact was always very irritating to Kyivans. The first thing Kyiv did after Independence was rename "moscow hotel" into "Ukraina hotel" and now to demolish it and build this huge skyscraper to stand for permenance of Ukrainian Independence.

That obelisk is only 5 years old, it is also called "Independence Monument" and the square in front is "Independence Square" :)

But I hope they remove that tacky Trizub.

I hope they make the Tryzub even larger.

I hope they make the Tryzub even larger.
:puke:
I'm all for patriotism, but can they do it in a more classy way? This is just so tacky and distasteful.

I would want people to see it a few kilometers before reaching Kyiv.

Are they still going to build it?

lol, that's an old thread... no, it was canceled and a similar project reappeared in a completely different location.