Differences between historical documentation and actual structure of the Shukhov tower in Moscow: 3D model-based analysis

The hyperboloid radio tower on Shabolovka Street built by V.G. Shukhov is one of the world known symbols of Moscow and of the USSR television broadcasting. The tower was laser scanned and 3D modeled in detail in 2011-2013 years. Virtual 3D modeling involved a thorough analysis of the existing historical documentation. This analysis revealed many discrepancies between the actual structure of the tower and existing historical documentation (including the design, working and survey documentation). In this paper we describe differences regarding the outline of the tower, structure of legs and connection joints, the height of the tower, and also discuss some assumptions on the change of mounting method during the building of the first two sections.