Lakhta center is official. An entire city will stretch under the Lakhta Center tower. Night lighting of Lakhta Center: panorama-google

"Lakhta Center": "As future residents of Lakhta, we first need a comfortable environment"

The Gazprom tower will take on a finished form by the end of the year, while the townspeople are concerned about plans for the development of the surrounding areas. Fontanka studied the city plan, went to the area and received first-hand answers to questions.

The Lakhta Center tower will be completed within a year. When road junctions appear nearby, an amphitheater, an international-level yacht club and the tennis academy founded by Poltavchenko will open, where the park “disappeared” from the project images and why the trees were cut down, said the project’s executive director, Alexander Bobkov, in an interview with Fontanka.

Photo: courtesy of MFK Lakhta Center JSC

- When will Lakhta Center be commissioned? Are there any delays?

“You can already see how the construction is progressing with the naked eye; at this stage there is nothing to hide - no delays, no gaps ahead. We plan to complete the main construction and installation work by the end of 2017, which will form the final architectural image of our complex. From now on, everyone will be able to see him as he was intended. And in 2018, we will complete the interior work and landscaping in order to commission the complex in the fall of next year.

- Could new American sanctions affect the pace of construction?

– The main foreign equipment that we needed has already been purchased, and we do not fall under the criteria described in the sanctions conditions. So, emotionally this is all unpleasant, but objectively we have no reason to worry.

- When will Gazprom structures begin to move into the complex?

– This question is more for tenants who independently arrange internal spaces outside the common areas of the center. They are already seriously working on this issue, design is underway, and I think that during 2019 the main move of Gazprom structures to the complex will be completed.

- Will Gazprom President Alexey Miller also move to the tower?

– The building has a block for the company’s management, including a place where the chairman of the board can work.

Smolny promised to build road junctions near the Lakhta Center before its construction is completed in 2018. How do you assess the fulfillment of these obligations?

– As such, the city authorities never had any obligations to Gazprom. There was responsibility to the townspeople, in particular residents of the Primorsky district. Plans for road infrastructure facilities were announced back in 2009, three years before our appearance on the site. Unfortunately, the speed of their implementation is lower than we would like. We hope that next year work will begin on the construction of an overpass between the Primorskoye Highway and the territory of the southern part of the Lakhta-Olgino village, as well as several auxiliary roads. According to the data we have, similar facilities are usually built in two years.

- So, the interchange will appear after the opening of the Lakhta Center, and the area will still be stuck in traffic jams?

– We simulated the transport situation in the Lakhta Center area and found out that the project will not cause damage to the current transport infrastructure. The traffic flows that our complex will generate are reversible. While in the morning residents of residential areas will go to work in the center of St. Petersburg, our workers will head along the almost empty Primorskoye Highway to work towards Lakhta. And a similar situation will repeat in the evening, when our employees will be driving home to the center at 18-19 hours, and the highway will be stuck in a traffic jam from the city.

Currently, 11 thousand people work at the facility. You can see parked cars all around, which is not very encouraging local residents. How do you solve this problem?

– Already at the initial stage of construction, we organized the transportation of workers by buses. This is what happens now. But at the current stage, the number of highly qualified personnel involved in the installation and commissioning of engineering systems has increased significantly. They do not use centralized delivery and drive their own cars.

Neither we nor the residents like it great amount personal transport, which stands on lawns and along roads. We are trying to resolve this issue in direct communication with the general contractor: we include clauses in the contract that he must ensure order not only on the site, but also around it; We insist that the number of buses be increased; we ourselves work with the police. We are trying to organize construction camps more “vertically”, so that there remains space for organized parking for personal vehicles. more space. That is, we are trying in every possible way to bring the situation back to normal.

"Fontanka.ru"

- And after the center is commissioned, where will the cars of 10 thousand employees and visitors go?

“For the future, we have a spacious underground parking lot, more than 2,200 parking spaces, right under the center tower, and after its opening, the cars of employees and guests will not go beyond the red lines of the facility.

- There are five times fewer places than there are workers...

– You need to understand that a significant part of the complex’s employees are by no means white-collar workers or “automotive” people. They will travel by public transport.

- What kind of transport?

– A new railway station will be created right at the Lakhta site of the Russian Railways. It will be possible to sit on Finlyandsky station and quickly get to the Lakhta Center area. Russian Railways are ready to begin work within a year. And in the future, there are plans to restore the double-track line in this direction that was in this area 100 years ago. Hopefully we will see these changes by 2020. In the meantime, until this transport infrastructure exists, a continuous transportation of people from the Begovaya station by shuttles will be organized.

- How will tourists get there?

– We expect that tourists will arrive by water - ships with deep draft type "Moscow" will stop at the Hercules port, and smaller water taxis will stop at the pier directly next to the tower.

Local residents complain that Gazprom promised to build them a park. He appeared in the first images of the project. Now in its place are new buildings of the complex. How did it happen?

– We are located on the territory of a former industrial zone. Here before us there were sand dunes with dredges and storms raged in windy weather. This is all to the question of “the destroyed park and when will we return it.” It never existed.

According to the original Lakhta Center project, part of our land plot was provided recreational area, which is now called a park by residents, because in the pictures it looked green and well-maintained. But after the decision was made to move Gazprom entirely, a project for an office complex arose in this place, which would accommodate additional staff. This is the story of a lost principality that never existed.

- That is, there will be no compensation for residents instead of the mythical park?

“We are not building a residential complex, and the policy of “even a flood after us” is not applicable here. We are going to live here. Accordingly, we are the most interested people in making it comfortable here: for us, for our closest neighbors, and for the numerous guests of the complex.

What we can definitely talk about now is the Eastern and Southern embankments at the Lakhta Center, which in area, landscaping and level of comfort will be comparable to a park. Next to us, it is planned to completely reconstruct and create an international sailing center on the basis of the Hercules yacht club, with all the infrastructure - a hotel and a tower for observing regattas. Also, to the west of our site it is planned to build a tennis academy, to the east - an eco-gallery and the museum-ship "Poltava". A large amphitheater is currently being built near the Lakhta Center, which can accommodate several thousand people.

In essence, the industrial area will turn into an open area, comfortable environment. The project will be absolutely open, and everyone will have access to it.

- Fontanka wrote about the start of construction of the yacht club and tennis academy back in 2013. Why didn't they start?

– As far as I know (these projects are not being implemented by our structure), delays occur partly due to changes in land use legislation, partly due to a two-year delay in the adoption of the city’s master plan. The general budget situation did not contribute to rapid construction either. But no one has canceled the projects, and they will be implemented.

As far as can be seen on the city plan, it is in these areas that the overgrowth that is so disturbing to local residents is currently being cut down?

– Yes, but we are actually doing the work. We are currently renting part of the territory, which is intended for the construction of a transport interchange and sports and leisure infrastructure, from the city and will temporarily use it to organize the construction process. And then we’ll put it in order and hand it back to the city already prepared. This way, we hope it will be possible to save some time.

- Are you able to build a dialogue with opponents of Lakhta Center?

– In most cases, yes. Moreover, when receiving feedback, we see clear acceptance of our project by the majority of citizens. But it happens that constructive dialogue does not work out because individual people have their own sense of inner dreams.

- Do you mean an alternative project of one of the local activists?

- Exactly. At the current stage, he proposes to create, for example, a beach named after Alexander Blok instead of the embankment. Or make a ready-made amphitheater a little differently and in a different place.

- Is it possible to compare the defenders of Okhta with the activists of Lakhta?

- No, it was completely different there. Okhta was a real city referendum. It really was a battle of opinions. Today's conversations in comparison are like a battle between Nanai boys and a professional boxing match.

By the way, in April it was also said that Gazprom was negotiating with Smolny about exchanging a site in Okhta for another. How did it end?

– We are not currently at the stage of negotiations on the exchange of plots with the city. We are looking for a project that would definitely beautify this place, and would not want it to be given over to a standard residential development. For ourselves, we see a social and business center there, perhaps with a residential component. This place is worthy of a landmark project.

Considering that Gazprom is now conducting a dialogue with all kinds of activists regarding the Lakhta Center, does this mean that the company has learned from the experience at Okhta?

– Of course, from the point of view of shaping public opinion, St. Petersburg is special city. There are truly authoritative, recognized opinion leaders here, and any large development projects need a comprehensive assessment. When building the Lakhta Center, we strive to approach our plans as carefully as possible, taking into account the needs of citizens and even, to a certain extent, looking into the future. But these 4 years of construction, I believe, we were as open as possible, and everyone who wanted to participate was able to do so.

But to reconcile all St. Petersburg residents with the new dominant, which is visible even from Peter and Paul Fortress, it still didn't work...

– The urban environment of St. Petersburg is quite conservative. In this sense, it is a question of introducing something new, futuristic, into a habitat that is familiar to the residents of St. Petersburg. It is truly a difficult task to create new architecture in a classic city with one project.

But we hope that Lakhta Center will become a new attraction, a new height for St. Petersburg of the 21st century. The city landmark that was the Peter and Paul Fortress in the 18th century or St. Isaac's in the 19th century.

Interviewed by Ilya Kazakov,

"Fontanka.ru"

04/05/2017

Lakhta Center will be completed by the fall of 2018. Construction is going according to plan and will be completed on time, the company assures. But neither additional roads, nor interchanges, nor crossings necessary for transport support skyscraper. How will people and cars get to it and what will this mean for St. Petersburg? – Alexander BOBKOV, executive director of JSC Multifunctional Complex Lakhta Center, told City 812.

Sh osse with a turn

I asked your press secretary how to get to Lakhta Center without a car, and heard the answer: “Let us pick you up ourselves.” How will employees and visitors get here after the opening?

After opening, you can get to us the same way as all residents of Lakhta today - by bus, minibus taxis along Primorskoye Highway. IN summer period Aquabuses will walk on the water. Plus, we will launch free shuttle buses to the nearest Begovaya metro station, which will open for the World Cup. And we are always happy to bring the press to the construction site.

According to official information, more than eight thousand employees will work in Gazprom offices alone. Plus service personnel, plus tourists. This is already tens of thousands of people. At least two thousand of them will go to personal cars along Primorskoye Highway. It is already busy, but it will turn into a highway traffic jam. What to do?

Look at the diagram. We will, of course, build all the infrastructure inside our block - entrances, parking exits, intra-block roads. Behind transport infrastructure, adjacent to the Lakhta Center mixed-use complex, is the responsibility of the city. When we were choosing a place for construction, we naively believed in the General Plan. Long before us, U-turns on the Primorskoe Highway and a large interchange near the (then non-existent) Lakhta Center were already planned (in the diagram - in the yellow oval - Ed.). With the opening of the Lakhta Center, the city must ensure the connection of our quarter to the Primorskoye Highway using an overpass through the Lakhtinskaya Harbor (in the diagram - in the red oval - Ed.). I cannot say that all this will be done by the opening.

- What will be done?

By June 2017, the arrangement of two U-turns on Primorskoe Highway should be completed (green “circles” on the diagram). They were planned to be made back in 2014, then in 2015, 2016... Now fifty percent of them are ready. In one of them, you only need to move the curb and paint over the double solid line so that you can turn towards the area. The project for connecting the South Lakhta quarter (where Lakhta Center is located) to Primorskoe Highway will be sent for examination in May. But when we will see its physical embodiment is unknown. These are questions for the city. Naturally, the two existing entrances to the Lakhta Center territory will be expanded and improved. But I would like the city to implement its plans within the stated time frame.

How much will it cost to connect Lakhta Center to Primorskoe Highway? The deputies announced the figure of 12 billion.

The cost of constructing this interchange with an overpass, according to information from city committees, is at least three times less.

- In Smolny they say that there is no money for this.

There is money, it’s just distributed among other objects.

The city authorities sent an application for co-financing of this project from the federal budget back in the fall. Is there already a response from Moscow?

We don’t know about this, but I can assume that the first question from the feds when considering such applications is: “Do you have documentation?” And the documentation for this project will appear no earlier than May, after passing the state examination. Therefore, the decision is probably postponed and awaits delivery of documentation.

About a year ago they said that the Novaya Lakhta station would be built opposite the Lakhta Center on the existing railway line. At what stage are these plans?

Oktyabrskaya Railway ready to start construction new station right now. It will take 9-11 months. But the fact is that a station without a pedestrian crossing to the Lakhta Center via Primorskoe Highway - underground or overground - loses its meaning. Unfortunately, the city has not yet found funds for its construction. Although it is in the planning project.

Need more offices

- Near the Lakhta Center, Gazprom PJSC is implementing another construction project. What is going to be there?

Office center. It will be smaller in size than ours, but the area will be one workplace- more. Accordingly, about 1000-1200 people will still fit there.

Two years ago you said that Lakhta Center would have more public space than offices. And now you are giving two-thirds of the space to offices. Why is that?

We abandoned the hotel in favor of office space, as there was not enough of it. At the same time, all the iconic public facilities of the complex have been preserved. It should be taken into account that a significant part of the complex - 25-27% - is occupied by parking.

- How many cars is it designed for?

For 2000 cars. Plus there will be approximately 890 more places on the adjacent site.

- Is this enough?

More than. I hope that not all employees will drive to work. According to the regulations, there is one parking space per 100 square meters of offices. We have one parking space per 60 square meters.

- Will parking be paid?

Most likely it will be some kind of mix. Those who come to our concert or to the planetarium will be able to leave their car for free.

What besides offices will appear in Lakhta Center? How many non-Gazprom visitors do you expect to come and why?

We believe that we are guaranteed a flow of tourists of 400-600 thousand people annually. Because everyone will want to come to the observation deck. A long atrium promenade will appear between the two buildings of the multifunctional building. It will house the entrance to the planetarium, children's science Center, transforming hall, street retail, cafes and restaurants, as well as elevators to office floors. We want to make this public area as comfortable as possible, but at the same time complementary to the business area.

- Already have an agreement with the tenants? What kind of public catering and what kind of trade will appear?

There are many applications, and there is a short list (in fact, a long list) of companies with which negotiations are underway. We want to get tenants who, like us, understand that this is a non-standard place and a unique environmental facility. We will not have full-fledged trade, and we would not like to see standard fast food here. A panoramic restaurant will be located between the 74th and 76th floors of the tower. The operator has not yet been chosen, but all the leaders in this industry - name anyone! - show interest.

The weather is very disappointing

Architect Philip Nikandrov tells how Gazprom's Okhta Center in St. Petersburg turned into Lakhta Center, and explains why the architect should be more important than developers and officials

Chief architect of Gorproekt Filipp Nikandrov /Evgeniy Egorov / Vedomosti

Philip Nikandrov designed high-rise buildings for St. Petersburg and Moscow that have every chance of becoming new city symbols - the Lakhta Center towers on the shore Gulf of Finland and “Evolution” in “Moscow City”. The architect worked for 15 years at the international bureau RMJM, in offices in the UK and the Middle East, from where he returned to Russia in 2004. He began designing high-rise buildings in the 2000s, working in Dubai. At home, he led the design of two skyscrapers based on his concepts, which won international architectural competitions - the Evolution tower in Moscow City in 2005 and the Gazprom complex in St. Petersburg in 2006.

The Lakhta Center tower in St. Petersburg, where Gazprom structures will move, will be put into operation in the fall of 2018. It will become the most tall building in Europe (462 m).

– Construction of the Lakhta Center is being completed. But at one time the decision to build a tower for Gazprom in St. Petersburg caused a scandal. Tell us about the history of the project and why the move from Okhta to Lakhta took place?

– This story began on a plot of about 5 hectares in the place where the Okhta flows into the Neva. On the site of Petrozavod, which was demolished in 2008, there was once the Okhtinskaya shipyard, in the 16th–17th centuries. here was the Swedish fortress of Nyenschanz, and before that, back in the 13th century, the Swedish fortress of Landskrona. In fact, the history of St. Petersburg began with the fact that in 1703 Peter I took Nyenschanz by siege, and three weeks later founded new town downstream of the Neva, starting to build a fortress on Hare Island. The old earthen fortification of Nyenskans was subsequently destroyed. When in 2006 " Gazprom“announced a closed international competition to build a headquarters on this site, I collaborated with the British company RMJM, which was shortlisted from all Pritzker laureates. We were able to present an interesting concept that was liked by the customers and the majority of the jury members, while simultaneously winning the open Internet voting and voting at the exhibition of competitive projects.

The concept not only embodied the historical genetic code of the site in its forms - we proposed the museumification of Nyenskans and Landskrona by tracing its outlines in the paving and in the numerous atrium spaces of the complex, which also included Archaeological Museum for artifacts found during excavations financed by Gazprom. True, the archaeologists, having received their reward, declared the entire site “the Troy of St. Petersburg” and demanded a ban on construction, without having any scientific plans for conserving the site or recreating the earthen fortress, except, of course, a pure remake - to build one razed in the 17th century. fortification from scratch again, and then declare it a monument. Having passed the approval of Glavgosexpertiza in 2010, the project was closed, and the authorities of St. Petersburg immediately declared the entire site a monument and prohibited any construction on it.

But the project on Okhta was closed mainly not because of UNESCO’s protests about the very fact of high-rise construction in the so-called buffer zone near the historical center, but because of the revealed illegitimacy of the city’s high-rise regulations, when gross violations were discovered during its adoption as part of the PZZ [ rules of land use and development] of St. Petersburg. In 2010 Supreme Court canceled it. Then, about 120 projects were actually suspended, located in the territories of the industrial belt around the historical center, which UNESCO considered a buffer zone (such status in defining the boundaries of the historical center of St. Petersburg as a monument world heritage still no). But this whole story developed against the backdrop of the emerging pre-election political protest, in which the construction of a tower for opposition movements in St. Petersburg symbolized a certain act of violence by the authorities over culture and history, hence various kinds of comparisons of towers with phallic images and the lament of part of the intelligentsia about “defloration” cultural space of the city" (they came up with such a thing!). Built in the 1960s. Nobody seemed to notice the 300-meter television tower against the background of the spire of Peter and Paul Fortress and three dozen smoking industrial chimneys, exceeding the mark of the top of St. Isaac's dome. That is, all this was not so much about architecture as about politics; this landmark project “smelled too much of power.”

Philip Nikandrov

Chief Architect of Gorproekt

Born in 1968 in Leningrad. Graduated from the Faculty of Architecture of the Leningrad Civil Engineering Institute. In 1994 he joined the Union of Architects of Russia

Works at Lengiprogor: Workshop No. 3, participation in projects for Severodvinsk

Moved to the Personal Creative Architectural Workshop (PTAM) of Yu. K. Mityurev

Became chief architect in the offices of the UK, Middle East and Russia of the international architectural company RMJM Scotland Ltd. (since 2011 – director and co-director of the European studio RMJM). In 1999 he received a professional license to carry out independent architectural activities

Appointed chief architect of JSC Gorproekt

Initially, the idea was not received with hostility; an architectural competition was held in 2006, open exhibition all concepts, there was controversy, but already in 2007 serious money flowed into the protest campaign to discredit the project at Okhta. I don’t know exactly who financed this, but it was about moving the country’s largest taxpayer from the capital, the amount of tax deductions of which was comparable to the total annual budget of St. Petersburg, and too many influential forces were interested, if not stopping, then at least slowing down this move from one region to another.

– You yourself did not perceive that project as a threat to the historical appearance of St. Petersburg?

- No. This would certainly confuse me if it were built, say, opposite Palace Square or the Peter and Paul Fortress, analogous to the 300-meter London tower The Shard, standing across the Thames directly opposite the Tower, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Our site was far beyond the boundaries of the historical city ensembles. We then built a 3D model of the city, carried out our landscape-visual analysis, looking at all the points from which streets the tower would be visible, and found only 5-6 streets, on the axis of which the new dominant sat, and all these streets were outside the so-called golden triangle. Five kilometers from Palace Square is quite a decent distance.

But Gazprom eventually made a strategically correct decision - to move the construction from disputed territory and away from the historical center. Since 2011, the project has been developing in Lakhta, on the shores of the Gulf of Finland, on a section of alluvial territory, 5 km from the border of the historical center. RMJM was unable to survive the international economic crisis and work with it did not go beyond concept. So, together with the Lakhta Center project, I went to work as the chief architect at Gorproekt, which won the tender for the general design of the facility in 2011. Since then, the project has been completely and repeatedly redesigned; all that remains from the previous concept is the idea of the silhouette of a spire tower, symbolizing the flame that Gazprom brings to the people. But now it is 462 m, it will be for many years to come the tallest skyscraper not only in Russia, but also in Europe.

Now “Lakhta Center” as a new social and business cluster is the flagship of the agglomeration practically in the center of the lagoon ring of the Gulf of Finland, surrounded by a ring highway, in the orbit of which Greater St. Petersburg will develop in the 21st century. And the tower on the shore of the bay, as a new city-wide dominant, forms the sea facade of the city directly opposite the new passenger port, which receives tourist season 5–7 each cruise ships at the same time, and this more tourists than arrives daily through Pulkovo Airport.

-What was in this place before?

– There was a sand depot – they stored sand for construction projects.

– So the tower stands on the sand?

– No, it stands on 264 piles with a diameter of 2 m and 82 m deep, they go through the first 30 m of soft soil and rest on hard clay. The foundation slab was poured continuously for more than two days (a Guinness Book record).

The area of the first phase is 8 hectares, there will be large landscaped spaces: three public squares, an outdoor amphitheater with a stage against the backdrop of the bay, an entertaining science museum with a planetarium, concert hall. The tower is completed not by the office of the head of the company, but by an accessible observation deck, an absolute center of attraction for tourists. The facility is also LEED Gold certified, making it a national leader in energy conservation and environmental stewardship, yet it is the headquarters of a major energy company that keeps pace with progress.

– What is the ratio of the areas that Gazprom will occupy to public areas?

– Less than 45% of all areas are allocated for office functions, the rest relate to public spaces and functions, including recreation. Gazprom has another site of 7 hectares nearby; a second phase will be built there, where there will be more office space.

– Does Gazprom pay for everything?

– Investor of the first phase – “ Gazprom Neft", this company was initially the developer and developer of the project through its subsidiary. But in the end, all the main brands of the Gazprom group of companies will live in the complex. Now in St. Petersburg they occupy comparable areas in different business centers and pay rent. In the long term, owning a building is a definite saving for them.

– You assume that “Lakhta” will face the fate not of Montparnasse, but Eiffel Tower? (The 210-meter Montparnasse Tower, the only skyscraper in the historical center of Paris, became the object of criticism. Two years after its construction, the construction of high-rise buildings on this territory was prohibited.)

“I really hope so, but history will be the judge.” However, any architect is convinced that he is right. Although, I think, the creator of the Montparnasse Tower was also proud of it. We - architects, designers - live and work in difficult times in the context of the ideology of universal consumerism, which forces many of our colleagues to destroy their own buildings, following the path of momentary architectural fashion, constantly inventing new styles and thereby devaluing the value of previous ones. This makes life difficult for investors, especially if it is a high-rise building. The construction period increases with height in direct proportion. And it may turn out that, having invested in a concept that was trendy at the time the project began, you will end up with a facility that is obsolete by the time construction is completed. This is why so many pseudo-classical buildings are being built in Russia (which is considered bad taste in Europe) - in this way, customers are trying to save investments and deceive time. But they are only deceiving themselves; all these “pseudo” and “quasi” will never become classics, but will forever remain in the category of pathetic parodies. The style of the facades and forms of the Lakhta Center is timeless; it is not tied to any architectural fashion.

– Is the tower reinforced concrete?

– A reinforced concrete core in the center and concrete steel columns along the periphery, between them there are steel beams and reinforced concrete floors on a steel corrugated sheet - this is the most popular type of structure for mega-skyscrapers now, it is called composite. By 2020, when the tower is fully occupied, it will no longer be included in the list of the 20 tallest towers in the world. But we live in the context of Europe, and there were no goals to set high-altitude records. The task initially was to find harmony with the place in the urban planning context of St. Petersburg.

- How was it built?

– Many of the advanced construction technologies used have already been tested previously at other sites, but on a more modest scale. For example, the facades are unique: this is the largest cold-formed facade in the world (after the Evolution Tower): the glass is curved and strictly follows the spiral geometry of the form, as if flowing continuously. In addition, an intelligent ventilated facade is used here: in summer it will prevent heating of the premises when the ventilation valves are open, and in winter it will accumulate solar energy due to the greenhouse effect, reducing energy costs for heating when the ventilation valves are closed. The facade maintenance system is also unique: special rails are laid according to the shape of the building, along which beams with a cradle will move for washing or replacing double-glazed windows. Architectural lighting and anti-icing systems are integrated into these same rails. Anti-icing measures are extremely important here - no one has built such tall buildings at such a northern latitude and in such a humid climate. Special sensors will monitor when it is necessary to turn on local heating in places where icicles may appear during the cold season.

The city, of course, needs such objects; they position it much beyond its usual niche of a museum city or Northern Venice. St. Petersburg, like Venice, is a flat city. But the height of ordinary buildings outside the historical center has increased several times, but the height of the dominant buildings has not. Now the average height of historical architectural dominants in the center is 50–60 m, like the average residential building on the outskirts. And this new scale dictates the scale of new high-rise dominants. But until recently, such dominant buildings were not built in the city.

Photo gallery

Turned out to be the highest

Skyscrapers and high-rise construction in general are a trend associated with the increasing density of our cities and megalopolises, as, indeed, all phenomena of our life. The trend is positive if professionals are involved in urban planning, as well as the design and construction of skyscrapers, and a frightening phenomenon if amateurs are involved in this, and this also happens.

– Do you think that increasing building density is progressive?

– Increasing building density is progressive and inevitable. It is progressive, since on the whole on the planet, with increasing density, living becomes more and more compact and, thus, significant areas that remain on the balance of natural ecosystems are preserved or freed from development. Inevitable, since with the growth of the planet's population, the general tendency to save resources, including energy and all types of infrastructure, is intensifying.

– Nowadays there is a lot of talk about the need to build garden cities, but they continue to build anthill cities. What needs to happen to society for progressive urban trends to prevail?

– I can’t answer in a few words. Russia is now in captivity of several trends at the same time - industrial society still predominates, but in megacities, where traditional production is being replaced by an innovative and service economy, elements of a post-industrial social structure are already visible. For example, Skolkovo can be considered as a prototype or, rather, a showroom of such a garden city. Although it is being created in some isolation from the real economy of the country and has signs of Potemkin villages, this is the fate of many pilot projects.

Russia is still dominated by mass housing construction from the industrialization era, dating back to Khrushchev's times. To this day, millions of adult children live with their parents, millions of divorced spouses continue to share living space, not to mention the millions of people living in communal apartments and dilapidated houses. New buildings are still competing for buyers’ wallets with the same Khrushchev and Brezhnev buildings: such a poor competitive background does not promise us the special quality of economy-class houses being built and improving the urban environment. IN Western countries On the contrary, there is an overproduction of housing, so there is no such scale of mass housing construction; much less is being built there, which means that the competition is much higher and better quality. This also applies to social housing, which is also built, but according to government orders and not as massively as ours, which makes it possible to use individual projects for each specific site and even involve famous architects in these projects.

Only serious competition in the field of housing construction can revive the institution of real architectural competitions and return the quality of architecture to new construction. As for the already built “anthills,” unfortunately, we have to live with this, and for a very long time.

But we must understand that progressive urban trends do not promise a decrease in building density in our cities; it will continue to grow with the increasing pace of urbanization. Which will continue until at least the middle of this century, when, according to forecasts, 70% of the world's population will live in cities. But these may be completely different cities.

– Polycentric or monocentric development, agglomeration or conurbation – which path should Moscow and St. Petersburg choose?

– The general plans and public planning zones of both megacities, as well as all Russian urban planning as a science, are still based on the fundamental principles of urban planning of an industrial society since the industrial revolutions of the 19th century. This means: industrial zones were built at a distance from the downtown, and residential residential areas were located nearby, stadiums, parks for recreation of citizens, etc. were built separately. However, if we get rid of such functional zoning and zoning of cities according to the old centric development schemes and build life of a post-industrial society, creating a mixed development in which housing, retail, offices, schools, universities, cultural and sports facilities will harmoniously coexist along landscaped and landscaped streets and squares, then a further increase in urban density due to an increase in the number of storeys of buildings can be carried out without destroying such harmony, and, on the contrary, reducing the need for daily migration. The fact that now the majority of the population lives in one area, works in another, and goes shopping or relaxing in a third, only creates a transport collapse. The answer to this challenge is the polycentric development of our cities.

– It has already become a commonplace that developers criticize architects for being “excessively beautiful,” and architects criticize developers for simplifying projects to the detriment of quality. Is it possible for these parties to reach an agreement? And How?

– This is an eternal dispute and struggle for a share in the budget. The developer will strive, if not to cut, then to extremely optimize the budget allocated for architectural expressiveness, quality of details and landscaping. An architect, on the contrary, will (and is obligated by definition) to fight for an increase in the budget for aesthetics and quality. But an agreement is possible. If, for example, we accept the principle of minimalism in the lofty sense in which [German architect Ludwig] Mies van der Rohe formulated it: “Less is more.” But it’s not the developer, not the official, but the architect who should measure “more or less” here.

– Do you agree that for an architect to make a good design for a cheap but high-quality house is a professional challenge? Do you have such projects?

– I absolutely agree, this, in principle, is the highest exam. Of course, for any architect it is great luck to receive an unlimited budget for the realization of his architectural dreams and fantasies, but, in my opinion, to build beautifully on a small budget is a much more honorable achievement and a higher mission worthy of applause.

We recently received such an order - a project for a standard residential building for rent. The result should be the concept of a rental home, which will be centrally owned and managed by a single homeowner. For this business to be successful in the market, the new landlord must offer not only affordable rent, but also housing that is extremely attractive to potential tenants in terms of quality and aesthetics. This is the task and the professional challenge you are asking about.

– At a recent forum on high-rise construction in Yekaterinburg, you painted a picture of an ideal city of the future. What should it be like?

– So that the majority of its residents would be comfortable living there, without dreaming of moving to another city. So that people born in it would like to live their lives in it. We are talking about an environmentally and socially safe urbanized urban space, in harmony with the environment and providing - due to its layout and functional configuration - convenient and easy access for citizens to the main elements of complex social infrastructure, including employment, education, healthcare, culture, trade , recreation and sports. As for transport, its structure is already changing with the process of “uberization” and with the advent of unmanned vehicles and drones, and the goal for the person of the future, in my opinion, is to move around the city less in a car and walk more and/or use bicycles and hoverboards . The pattern of daily migrations within the city has already begun to change, online shopping and couriers have begun to slowly but surely kill traditional trade; in developed countries, street retail, malls and hypermarkets with huge parking lots are slowly dying out as a class. But people must remain mobile enough to travel between cities or travel around the world. I think that virtual reality will reduce the share of business tourism and business trips, people will travel to visit relatives or to see the world. And if tourists flock en masse to a certain city, then it means that it is already successful in some way and has thereby won its place in the present and future.

It’s hard to imagine beautiful St. Petersburg as a city of skyscrapers, but high-rise construction is rapidly breaking into the city of Petra. Its first “swallow” will soon be the majestic Lakhta Center. At the same time, the Leningrad Tower will not be an ordinary skyscraper, but the second tallest among similar Russian and European buildings, surpassing the “Federation” in “Moscow City” and second only to While the building is under construction, there is time to find out interesting details about it.

General idea of the project

"Lakhta center", "Lakhta center" (both spellings are correct) - located in this moment at the construction stage of a public and business complex. Its scale explains the fact that the key object of the skyscraper will be the headquarters of the largest Russian corporation Gazprom. The location of the complex is Primorsky. Construction of the tower began in 2012. Its full completion is planned for the third quarter of 2018.

The maximum planned height of the Gazprom tower in St. Petersburg with antenna/spire is 462 m. The top level of the very last floor will be located 372 m above the ground. The weight of the structure with filling will be 670 thousand tons. The complex will include not only a tower, but also a multifunctional building, which will divide into northern and southern part atrium. total area of the future building will be 400 thousand m 2. How many floors are there in the Gazprom tower in St. Petersburg? The final number will be 87. The building will be served by 102 elevators.

Tower construction progress

Let's touch on the key stages of the construction of the Gazprom tower in St. Petersburg:

2013 - a pit was dug for the building.
2014 - completion of work on the construction of the pit, start of driving piles.
2015 - completion of the so-called construction: production of a box foundation, reinforcement and concreting of minus floors.
2015-2016 - construction of the first 50 floors of the skyscraper and 7 floors of the MFZ.
February 2017 - the 60th floor (260 m) was built.
April 2017 - work on the construction of the 67th floor (300 m).
May 10, 2017 - having reached 327.6 m and 78 floors, the skyscraper became the tallest building northern capital, "overtaking" the TV tower. The latter held this title for 55 years.

Concept of the Lakhta Center project

According to the project team, this tower, aimed at the sky like a rocket at the start, located on the shores of the Gulf of Finland, will form new standards of living for the city with its appearance and content:

developed social infrastructure;
modern offices that meet all global environmental requirements;
comfortable public spaces;
abundance of green areas;
pedestrian and transport accessibility.

The main task of the so-called Gazprom tower in St. Petersburg is to rid the historical center of business and business activity, and at the same time the dominance of transport, moving the focus of this activity to the outskirts of the city. The skyscraper will not only help the second capital move to a polycentric development model, but also attract significant investment, create new high-paying jobs, and create all the conditions for business development.

Architectural solutions

St. Petersburg is a city of skylines, not high-rises. All of its historical high-rise buildings are St. Isaac's, Peter and Paul Cathedral- these are the central points around which independent and integral structures are built. Therefore, in order not to spoil the appearance of the city-museum, it was decided to build a skyscraper housing the headquarters of the Gazprom state concern on the coast of the Gulf of Finland, far from historical buildings.

The tower is intended to begin to form the “sea façade” of St. Petersburg. Its appearance does not at all conflict with the “face” of the city - the same theme of a lonely spire on the horizon, the desire to rise, the contours of buildings reminiscent of the outlines of ship hulls.

The shape of the Lakhta Center, as conceived by the architects, should visualize openness, lightness, freedom, the flow of spaces and the energy of the sea. They strive to give the complex the effect of weightlessness and organic unity with the surrounding city and nature. A special type of double-glazed windows will help with this, which will allow the building to change its color depending on the mood of the sky.

What will happen inside the complex

The popular name of Lakhta Center - Gazprom Tower - is not entirely correct. The design of the “filling” of the complex is striking in its versatility:

Only 43% of the total area is planned to be allocated for office space.
2.5 thousand m2 will be occupied by a medical center.
7 thousand m2 is guaranteed to be provided to the children's scientific and educational center "World of Science", which will include lecture halls, laboratories, and an exploratorium.
It is planned to open a planetarium in the building, in which 140 people will be able to simultaneously observe celestial bodies.
It is planned to build a transforming multifunctional auditorium designed for almost 500 people.
Floors 74-76 (330 m) are planned to be allocated for a two-story panoramic restaurant.
At an altitude of 357 m above the ground, on the 83-86 floors there will be Observation deck equipped with powerful telescopes.
The MFZ will allocate 1.5 thousand m2 for exhibition space.
It is also planned to build an impressive amphitheater with 2,000 seats. Its stage, with an area of almost 1.5 thousand m2, will host various water shows.
Part of the complex will also be a covered pedestrian bridge that will connect the Lakhta Center space with the city’s 300th anniversary park.

Other characteristics

Let's get acquainted with interesting technical and design features Gazprom towers in St. Petersburg:

The skyscraper stands on 264 piles, each of which has a diameter of 2 m and a depth of 82 m.
The reinforced concrete core is responsible for the stability of the tower.
The horizontal rigidity of the skyscraper is achieved through outrigger floors - there will be 4 pairs of them in total. The outriggers will maintain the stability of the tower even if it loses 30% of its supporting structures.
Cold-formed glass technology is responsible for the innovative three-dimensional curvature of the complex's facades.
The lighting of the Lakhta Center is made up of light “pixels”. Their color will depend on the season of the year.
The waste will be disposed of using an innovative waste removal system.
It is planned to open a metro station next to the complex under the working name "Lakhta".

Finally, let's look at some interesting facts related to the St. Petersburg tower:

The concreting of the bottom slab of the skyscraper's foundation was included in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest continuous pour of concrete in the world. It lasted 49 hours, during which 19,624 cubic meters of concrete were poured.
400 thousand cubic meters of concrete will be spent on the construction of the entire complex.
The area of the tower's glass surface will be 77 thousand m2. The weight of each double-glazed window is more than 700 kg.
In July 2016, the skyscraper became the tallest building in St. Petersburg. He was able to achieve this title in just 10 months.
In August of the same year, Lakhta Center became the northernmost skyscraper in the world.

Surprisingly, Russia's tallest skyscraper will be located in St. Petersburg, the city of skylines. In addition to its height, the Lakhta Center project amazes with its multifunctionality, thoughtful concept and organic architectural design.

"Lakhta Center" - A public and business complex under construction in Lakhta, the historical part of the Primorsky district of St. Petersburg, the key object of which will be the headquarters of the state concern Gazprom.

The complex includes a skyscraper and a multifunctional building, divided by an atrium into the South and North blocks. The total area of the premises is 400 thousand m. The project is planned to be fully completed in the 3rd quarter of 2018.

The skyscraper became the northernmost in the world and the tallest in Russia and Europe, 88 meters higher than the Moscow Federation Tower skyscraper, although in terms of number of floors it is inferior to it and the 100-story Grozny skyscraper “Akhmat Tower” under construction. If we take absolute height, then the Lakhta Center ranks second among the tallest buildings in Russia and Europe, second only to the 540-meter Ostankino TV tower. The height of the building is 462 meters with 87 floors, and 118 meters are for a spire made of metal structures weighing more than 2000 tons.

The architectural design of the completed Phase 1 complex, including the tower, was developed by the design team of JSC Gorproekt under the leadership of the chief architect of the project, Philip Nikandrov, who was a co-author and chief architect of the Okhta Center project (2006-2010). The interior design of the complex is being developed by the European bureau Exclusiva Design Srl, which in 2014 won an open competition to design the interiors of public areas of the mixed-use complex.

According to the concept, the interior of the Lakhta Center multifunctional complex will be designed in a futuristic style. The glazing of the tower will be smooth, without joints or edges. Thanks to this, an original optical effect will be achieved in the form of reflected clouds rising along the wall of the building. Double-glazed windows are parallelograms and triangles (in the corners). There is no window in the glazing, since the building is equipped with a climate control system. Two buildings located on the sides of the high-rise dominant will be built with a height difference from 22 to 85 meters.

Maximum high point the southern building will be distant from the tower, and the northern one will be, on the contrary, directed towards the tower and the city. In March 2017, the first three of a future forty elevators were launched. Between the elevators there will be transfer nodes from the lower zone to the middle one, and from the middle zone to the upper one. A shuttle is also planned that will transport passengers non-stop to the observation deck.

Photos

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