(R)Evolution

One of my first posts was a panorama of Moscow City. No one knows what the future developments will bring, but so far my favourite among the six existing skyscrapers in the area is, by far, the 246 meter high Evolution Tower completed in 2014. It was nominated as a finalist for ‘Best Tall Building in Europe’ by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH). A member of the CTBUH jury responsible for selecting the finalists, Anthony Wood was quoted as saying: “The world has seen an increasing number of twisting towers in the last decade or so, but Evolution Tower takes the record for the most extreme twist.”

I also like the name of the building: Evolution evokes the spiralling, seemingly revolving, geometry of this skyscraper, without the confusion that, especially in Moscow, a name like “Revolution Tower” would have created. I think it also symbolises the fact that this new architecture is part of the continuous evolution of Moscow’s skyline and does not want to be a revolution that completely cuts off all ties with the city’s past.

Photographically, it is soooo much fun to play with this skyscraper geometry and lines, especially if you get to spend a few hours to take advantage of the changing light at different times of the day. I cropped he picture above to an almost (but not quite) square format, converted it to black and white, played with some dodge and burn and finally used a split toning to give some “personality” to the shadows and highlights. You can see the picture much bigger and in better quality at The World Photos.

Would you like to spend a few hours walking around Moscow City and taking picture of the amazing architecture? Do get in touch and we can organise it for you!