A traditional press tour, which took place on Tuesday, started with a press breakfast attended by reporters and the head of KNAUF for CIS, Janis Kraulis.
Within the course of the discussion, Mr Kraulis explained how the crisis has affected the company’s plants in the CIS countries, reported our special correspondent, Alexander Nevsky, from the ground. He said that in terms of the rouble, the situation is good. However, in terms of the euro, turnovers decreased by 30% in 2015.
Speaking on positive trends in the economy, Mr Kraulis indicated a significant slowing in the rise of energy costs. However, he pointed out the fact that the increase of costs in logistics has led to product appreciation. For the Russian government, there is a lot to think about, he concluded.
The reporters were then invited to visit unique architectural objects in Moscow, among which was the Dominion Tower business center, built according to a project by the legendary Zaha Hadid. Unfortunately, last September, due to health reasons, Zaha couldn’t attend the opening of this object.
The chief architect of the project, Elena Tsyrenova, and the contractor’s representative, Pavel Gavrish, told reporters that they have conducted a test with 47 construction materials to select finishing materials, but have chosen those made by KNAUF.
Having visited the “Luzhniki” Stadium, the reporters got acquainted with the progress on the construction of this unique object, and visited VIP lodges built with the use of German acoustic systems.
The contractor’s representative shared data on the KNAUF material usage on the construction: aqua panels – 120,000 m2; gypsum board – 50,000 m2.
The press tour finished with a visit to architectural Kremlin monuments. The reporters were lucky to observe, from a bird’s eye point of view, the construction site inside the Kremlin where a building dating from 1929 has been demolished and where historical objects are to be restored in its place.