forces in motion

Baku. In Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, the tallest building in the Caucasus was built. The 277-m high Baku Tower is constantly subjected to enormouswind loads. For this reason, a 400-t pendulum damper was installed on the uppermost platform. Its special feature: in case of strong wind and earthquake,the 400-t mass block moves horizontally by up to 1.3 m in all directionsin a controlled manner. Thispendulum damper ensures living and working comfort and effectively reduces the strain on the structure. The mass blockconsists of a massive steel box that was filled with concrete on site. MAURER not only manufactured the steel construction but also supervised the entireassembly and put the vibration damper into operation.

The Baku Tower features 49 above-ground floors plus roof and observation platform and is mainly intended for providing office space. In addition, stores, a VIP nightclub, an upscale restaurant, a fitness and spa center as well as an observation platform, the highest in Azerbaijan, are envisaged. Eyecatchers are an oriental-style 3 D steel decoration element stretching 50 meters upwards from the bottom of the  ower, and the tower cap that remotely reminds of baroquestyle onion domes. The Turkish architect Eren Yorulmazer with his office Mazeron Mimarlik Dekorasyon Tekstil Tic A.S. was in charge of these tasks. A special video and lighting system is intended to impressively illuminate both tower and decoration element and to display videos on the façade.

Challenged by wind
The name Baku (city of the wind) already points to the challenge in high-risebuilding. The capital of Azerbaijan is situated at the Caspian Sea from where the
wind blows unrestrained every day more or less strongly.