Location
St Petersburg, Russia
Client
Gazprom
Sector
Commercial
Landscape
Masterplanning
Mixed Use
Size
330,000 SQM
Scope
Confidential
Status
Completed
Sitting at 462 metres tall, the Lakhta Centre is the tallest building not just in russia, but in Europe, and will serve as the headquarters for global energy giant, Gazprom. The multifunctional complex is situated along the coast of the Gulf of Finland and has become an architectural centrepiece within the Saint Petersburg’s Central Business District. The 330,000m2 complex includes commercial office space as well as retail, leisure and residential developments, all situated on a 17-hectare brownfield site, and offers a car park with a vehicle capacity of 2,000.
The tower’s organic ‘spire’ shape symbolises the power if water, while the standout glass facade allows the building to change colour depending on the position of the sun, giving the impression of a living object. The building’s design incorporates several innovative efficiency features, including an ‘intelligent’ glass facade that provides both natural ventilation and thermal insulation, and specially designed micro-climate air conditioning.
The Lakhta Centre’s design was inspired entirely by the city of Saint Petersburg with its baroque architecture and water-filled canals, with the changing form of water to ice, from soft organic free-form to angular crystalline geometry. The layout of the complex represents the hull of a ship and integrates marine motifs with wave-like structures.
16,500 pieces of curved glass were used for the facade of the building – the largest volume of glass ever used on a high-rise building. The tower incorporates 90 floors – 87 elevated and three underground – with a total of 34 elevators placed throughout for ease of mobility. Construction began in 2012 with the pouring of concrete for the foundation taking place in 2015. Roughly 20,000 cubic metres of concrete was poured into the buildings foundation, and was done within a 49 hour period, enough to earn it a Guinness World Record for the longest continuous pour of concrete.
To learn more about the Lakhta Centre and some of its other impressive facts, take a look at our case study on Europe’s tallest building.
Images: © 2018 Lakhta Center Multifunctional Complex (Photos 2-9)