From the series: Megaprojects around us. Ostankino TV tower

Most of us associate large pits, tons of columns and metal structures, and pipelines stretching beyond the horizon with megaprojects. However, we can drive a car or pass by the MCD every day and not think that megaprojects are happening around us.

Having touched within a week two legendary objects owed to one person, I am boiling at the thought that his name is not known to all modern experts. These objects: the television tower in Ostankino and the sculpture "The Motherland is Calling!" in Volgograd. The hero's name is Nikitin Nikolai Vasilievich. He is the author of the ideas, the architect and the leader of these megaprojects.

Fig.1 Nikolai Vasilievich Nikitin

It is surprising that neither the Ostankino TV tower nor the sculpture "The Motherland is Calling!" do not appear in the list of successful high-rise objects (case studies of bestsellers and business coaches) in the company of the Empire State Building, the Eiffel Tower, the Petronas Tower, the Burj Khalifa. Reason: pseudo-patriotic masochism. But history will put everything in its place.

Below 10 reasons be proud of the megaproject of engineer Nikitin.

1. Ambitiousness of the project. No one in the world has built such high facilities for transmitting television signals. The figure of 500 meters meant TV coverage of the entire Moscow region and our party bosses really liked it. Design began in 1958.

2. The genius of the idea. Nikitin had the idea to build a tower from stressed concrete. Calculations have shown that such a structure requires a relatively small foundation and only 4 (!) supports. The idea came suddenly and, being late for the tender, Nikitin made a sketch of the tower in 3 (!) days.

3. Professionalism of the manager. Before the TV tower, Nikitin managed to participate in a number of projects as a designer, including the construction of the main building of Moscow State University, in which new technical solutions were proposed (box foundation, flexible columns and others). By the time the tower was designed, he was 55 and knew everything about construction.

Fig.2 Construction of a television tower

4. The scale of the megaproject. The TV tower project was going to be implemented in 5-6 years and for an estimate of 32 million Soviet rubles. As a result of changes in the project, the construction and installation phase lasted almost 8 years, the estimate increased by 2.5 times. In today's terms, the budget of the Ostankino megaproject can be estimated at 10 billion rubles.

5. Stakeholder level. The project was supervised at the very top. We can say that the tower was part of the country's strategic portfolio of projects, along with new types of weapons. Nikitin started the project under one general secretary and finished it under another. The USSR Politburo is essentially the managing committee of the megaproject.

6. Megaproject flexibility (Agile). The project was revised several times. After the foundation was built, construction was frozen for almost two years, since no one believed that such a foundation would withstand such a colossus! Nikitin made compromises, increased the number of supports to 10, but defended his idea. There were dozens of small changes, the height of the tower grew all the time -).

7. Tactician. Work is outdoors. Nikitin and his colleagues were constantly on site. The rhythm of construction was constantly monitored by the Central Committee, so I had to personally climb to any height several times a day and direct the foremen. Nikitin took full responsibility upon himself!

8. Strategist. Mamayev Kurgan. Nikitin simultaneously began working on another major project - the internal structure of the sculpture "The Motherland is Calling!" The solution of the Ostankino TV tower was successfully applied: a spatial structure of cables and stressed concrete with a minimal foundation.

9. Project success. The commission's act of acceptance of the first stage of the Ostankino TV tower was signed on November 5, 1967, and in December 1968 the second stage of construction was completed. Nikitin and his colleagues were awarded the Lenin Prize in 1970 for this megaproject.

10. Live by the project. Nikolai Vasilyevich Nikitin died shortly after receiving the Lenin Prize (in 1973). Colossal overstrain and inability to rest took its toll. And the Ostankino TV tower will stand for another 300 years, although it would be more correct to call it the Nikitin Tower.

The Ostankino TV Tower is an excellent example of a Soviet megaproject that embodies all modern approaches to project management (some even ahead of its time). During project management trainings at PM Expert, there is always time to focus the attention of listeners on this object and additionally inspire them to study the competencies of the real leader of the megaproject, who remains Nikolay Nikitin.

As a summary, a quote from Vladimir Mayakovsky: