59°59′13″N30°10′41″E / 59.98703°N 30.17814°E /59.98703; 30.17814
| Lakhta Center | |
|---|---|
Лахта-центр | |
 | |
 The Lakhta Center in 2021 | |
 Interactive map of the Lakhta Center area | |
| Record height | |
| Tallest in Russia and Europe since 2017[I] | |
| Preceded by | Federation Tower |
| General information | |
| Status | Completed |
| Type | Office |
| Architectural style | Neo-futurism |
| Location | Lakhta, Saint Petersburg, Lakhtinskij Prospect 2, Russia |
| Construction started | 2012; 14 years ago (2012) |
| Completed | 2019; 7 years ago (2019) |
| Cost | US$1.77 billion[1] |
| Owner | Gazprom |
| Height | |
| Architectural | 462 m (1,516 ft) |
| Observatory | 357 m (1,171 ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count |
|
| Floor area | 163,000 m2 (1,750,000 ft2)[2] |
| Design and construction | |
| Architecture firm | RMJM (until 2011), GORPROJECT[4] |
| Structural engineer | Gorproject, Inforceproject |
| Main contractor | Rönesans Holding |
| Website | |
| lakhta.center | |
| References | |
| [3] | |
TheLakhta Center (Russian:Ла́хта-це́нтр,romanized: Lahta tsentr) is an 87-storyskyscraper[5] built in the northwestern neighborhood ofLakhta inSaint Petersburg,Russia. Standing 462 metres (1,516 ft) tall, it is thetallest building in both Russia andEurope, and thesixteenth-tallest building in the world.[3][6] It is also the second-tallest structure in Russia andEurope, behind theOstankino Tower inMoscow, in addition to being thesecond-tallest twisted building and the northernmost skyscraper in the world.
Construction of the Lakhta Center started on 30 October 2012, with the buildingtopping out on 29 January 2018.[7] It surpassed the Vostok Tower of theFederation Towers in Moscow as the tallest building in Russia and Europe on 5 October 2017. The center is designed for large-scalemixed-use development, consisting of public facilities and offices. First designed by British architectural firmRMJM, the project was then continued by Gorproject (2011–2017) under the main contractor, Turkish companyRönesans Holding.
On 24 December 2018, the Lakhta Center was certified according to the criteria of ecological efficiency atLEED Platinum.[8][9] In August 2021,Gazprom, formerly headquartered in Moscow, completed its re-registration process in Saint Petersburg. The new address of the company is at the Lakhta Center Multifunctional Complex.[10]
The predecessor of the tower, the Okhta Center, was originally planned to be more centrally located in the city center of St. Petersburg. As thehistorical center has been aWorld Heritage Site since 1990, theWorld Heritage Committee opposed the construction of the 400-meter tower as it would affect the cityscape of historic Saint Petersburg.[11] In December 2006UNESCO World Heritage Centre DirectorFrancesco Bandarin reminded Russia about its obligations to preserve it and expressed concern over the project. In 2007, theWorld Monuments Fund placed the historic skyline of St. Petersburg on its 2008 Watch List of 100 Most Endangered Sites due to the potential construction of the building.[12] Due to this sizeable backlash on the original proposition, the Okhta Center, which had been planned by Gazprom to be in front ofSmolny Cathedral, was moved to Lakhta.[13] Plans for a newmetro station in the area were announced in March 2012, the station was originally included in the 1980 city development plan of Leningrad, but had not been built.[14]
The permit for construction of the first stage of Lakhta Center, which included the skyscraper andstylobate, was obtained on 17 August 2012.[15]
Project management is being done byAECOM.[16] German company Josef Gartner was in charge of the glazing of the skyscraper.[17]
Zero cycle works started on 30 October 2012. The main contractor for the construction of Lakhta Center,Rönesans Holding, was selected on 22 April 2014.[18]
In addition to the tower, the complex contains multiple other buildings. The multi-functional building (MFZ) consists of two buildings, North and South, which are united by a common foundation, stylobate and roof. The building resembles a boomerang. It has a variable number of storeys with a height difference from 7 to 17 floors, with the peak height being a little more than 80 meters. The structure is approximately 300 meters long.[25] The complex also has a third building,[26] which consists of two separate wings connected by a courtyard.[27][28] The MFZ contains a planetarium, which has a holding capacity of 140 people.[29]
The Lakhta Centre contains offices, aco-working center, a sports center, a children's science center, and a conference center. The project includes 1,500 square metres (16,000 sq ft) of indoor exhibition space. Part of the open area will be used to demonstrate art, installations and sculptures.There is a public observation deck at the top of the skyscraper at a height of 357 metres (1,171 ft).[30]
The design of the tower contains several green and energy-saving technologies, which earned it aLEED Platinum certificate. Excess heat generated by technical equipment is used to heat the premises. The skyscraper also uses equipment with reduced noise levels along with noise suppressors, sound-proof curtain walls andfloating floors.
Due to the peculiarities of the highly humid and windy climate in the North Western region of Russia, the possibility of icing up of buildings is relatively high. In order to prevent complete icing up of the tower's spire, engineers changed glassing to metal gauze. Glass at high floors will be heated to prevent ice accumulation, ensuring good visibility.[31]
In order to provide Lakhta Center and adjoining areas with electricity without imposing any extra burden on existing infrastructure, a new standalone power substation will be constructed.[32]
Two traffic circles are to be built near Lakhta Center, which will become part of the М32А highway in the future.[33]A light rail service fromFinland Railway Station and a new tram line fromPrimorskaya underground station will be built to serve Lakhta Center. Plans are ongoing to build a new underground station with the working title of "Lakhta". Bicycle lanes near Lakhta Center with 90 parking places for bicycles are also planned.[34][35]
Lakhta Center received the Emporis Skyscraper Awards' "Skyscraper of the Year"-award in 2020.[36] On 20 May 2021, the skyscraper won the facade engineering category award at the CTBUH Awards. The building also received 2 other Awards of Excellence that year: the structural engineering and geotechnical engineering awards. In October 2021, IFC Lakhta Center won the Grand Prix of Russia's largest engineering and architectural award 100 + Awards.
In May 2021 plans were announced for a second building to be built next to Lakhta Centre called Lakhta Centre II.[37] If built, Lakhta Centre II would rise 703 metres (2,306 ft) and be 150 floors. It would also be the second tallest building in the world along with the tallest twisted building and the first megatall building outside Asia. As of 2023, a small yacht club has been demolished on the site of Lakhta Centre II and construction was rumoured to begin in 2024.[citation needed]
In December 2021 further plans were revealed for Lakhta Centre III. As planned, Lakhta Centre III would rise 555 metres (1,821 ft).[38] No major news for Lakhta Centre III has been released since its initial announcement. If built, Lakhta Centre III would be the second tallest building in Europe behind Lakhta Centre II, assuming Lakhta Centre II is completed before the third tower.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)| Records | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Federation Tower (East Tower) | Europe's tallest building 2017–present | Succeeded by Incumbent |
| Russia's tallest building 2017–present | ||
| Preceded by | Tallest building in Saint Petersburg 2017–present | Succeeded by Incumbent |
| Completed |
| ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under construction |
| ||||||
| Related | |||||||
