Lakhta Center

The Lakhta Center is an 87-story skyscraper in the area of Lakhta in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It is very tall, at 462 metres (1,516 ft). It is the tallest building in both Russia and Europe. It is also the second-tallest structure in Russia and Europe after the Ostankino Tower in Moscow.

Construction of the Lakhta Center started on 30 October 2012 and finished on 29 January 2018. It was built for many uses, like public spaces and offices. The building was first designed by a British firm called RMJM and then by Gorproject. The main builder was a Turkish company named Rönesans Holding.

In December 2018, the Lakhta Center got a certificate for being very green at LEED Platinum level. In August 2021, the company Gazprom moved its main office from Moscow to the Lakhta Center in Saint Petersburg.

History

Planning

See also: Okhta Center

The Lakhta Center was first planned to be built in the center of St. Petersburg. This spot was changed because it is a special historic area. The new spot for the building was chosen in the Lakhta neighborhood. In 2012, plans were made to build a new train station nearby.

The permission to start building the first part of Lakhta Center was given on August 17, 2012.

Construction

A company called AECOM is managing the project. Construction began in October 2012, and a company named Rönesans Holding was chosen to build it in April 2014.

Construction schedule

• March 2013 – work on the base of the building was happening. Piles were being put into the ground.
• April 2014 – the hole for the building's base was finished.
• June 2014 – all the piles for the building were placed.
• February and March 2015 – the bottom part of the building's base was finished.
• September 2015 – work below ground level was done, and building of the lower floors started.
• April 2017 – the building grew taller than 300 metres, making it a very tall building.
• May 2017 – the building became the tallest in St. Petersburg.
• October 5, 2017 – the building became the tallest in Europe, reaching 374 metres.
• January 29, 2018 – the building reached its full height of 462 metres, and the top part was finished.

Other buildings

The Lakhta Center has more than just the tall tower. There are other buildings nearby. One is called the multi-functional building, or MFZ. It has two parts: North and South. These parts are connected and look like a boomerang. They have different heights, from 7 to 17 floors. The tallest part is a little over 80 meters high. This building is about 300 meters long.

There is also a third building with two wings connected by a courtyard. Inside the MFZ, there is a planetarium.

Design

Facilities

The Lakhta Centre has offices, a place for people to work together, a sports area, a special center for children to learn about science, and a big room for meetings. There is also space for showing art and sculptures. At the top of the building, there is a special deck where visitors can look out over the city from 357 metres up in the air.

Environmental technologies

The design of the Lakhta Centre uses many clever ideas to save energy and help the environment, which earned it a special award. It uses heat from machines to warm the building. The building also has quiet machines, special walls to block noise, and floors that don’t make much noise.

Because the area where the Lakhta Centre is built has lots of wind and moisture, there is a chance that ice could build up on the building. To stop this, the builders changed some parts of the building so that ice doesn’t stick, and they will heat the glass to keep it clear.

To make sure the Lakhta Centre and the nearby area have enough electricity, a new power station will be built just for this purpose.

Transportation development

Two round roads will be built near the Lakhta Centre, and they will become part of a bigger road called М32А. There will also be a train service from Finland Railway Station and a new tram line from Primorskaya underground station to help people get to the Lakhta Centre. There are plans to build a new underground station called “Lakhta”. Also, there will be special paths for bicycles with 90 places to park them.

Reception

The Lakhta Center was praised for its great design and engineering. In 2020, it won the "Skyscraper of the Year" award from the Emporis Skyscraper Awards. In May 2021, it got an award for its beautiful exterior at the CTBUH Awards. That same year, it also earned two special awards for its strong structure and smart building methods. In October 2021, it received the Grand Prix at Russia's big engineering and architecture award called the 100 + Awards.

Future developments

Lakhta Center II

In May 2021, plans were shared for a new building named Lakhta Centre II, to be built close to the Lakhta Centre. If built, Lakhta Centre II would be very tall, reaching up to 703 metres (2,306 feet) with 150 floors. It would be one of the tallest buildings in the world and the first very tall building built outside of Asia. By 2023, a small yacht club was moved to make space, and there were ideas that building might start in 2024.

Lakhta Center III

In December 2021, ideas for Lakhta Centre III were shown. If built, this building would stand at 555 metres (1,821 feet). Since then, there have been no big updates about Lakhta Centre III. If completed after Lakhta Centre II, it would become the second tallest building in Europe.