The Main Building of Moscow State University (MB=GZ “Glavnoe Zdanie” in Russian) was designed by an architect – Rudnev Lev Vlavimirovich –, whose projects include various buildings all around Moscow and restoration of many Russian cities, damaged during World War II. But Main Building design remains the masterpiece of Rudnev’s creativity; the architect paid much attention to the harmonious combination of future building with its environment.
The erection of MSU main building started May 1949, on the right shore of Moskva river, where Vorobiovo village formerly stood – the box foundation was laid. The MB designers were the first ones, who used foundation type, which provides minimal building setting due to covering reinforced plates and walls of the foundation with concrete. This part of building was finished in five months.
At those times Moscow State University Main Building beat several records at once. The height of the 36-storeyed building reaches 236 meters. Its framework made of steel required 40 thousand tons of steel. And its walls and balusters consist of about 175 million bricks. Its spire is as high as 50 meters and is crowned with the star, weighing 12 tons.
One of the side towers is decorated with champion clock – the biggest clock in Moscow. Their faces made of stainless steel are 9 meters in diameter. The hands are magnific, too. The minute hand is 4.1 m long, weighs 39 kg and is twice as long as the minute hand of the Kremlin Chimes.
The skyscraper also has unique elevators. The experts have made 111 elevators of a special design, including high-speed cabins for tall structures.
Moscow State University Building is likely to beat one more record – it has numerous columns. It’s almost impossible to count them all. Some of them have no constructional load and are just decorations.
There are three faculties in the Main Building – Faculty of Geology, Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics and Geography Faculty – and administration offices. The Museum of Earth Sciences is located on the 29th floor, then one can take an elevator to the 32nd floor, where the Conference Hall is situated. Upper floors are crawl floors.
Other Moscow State University buildings were erected simultaneously with its Main Building, Faculty of Physics, Faculty of Chemistry and Faculty of Biology among them.
