"Lakhta Center": what lies behind the high-altitude boundaries. The whole city of Lakhta Center will stretch under the Lakhta Center tower when it is completed

In mid-October 2018, the Lakhta Center multifunctional complex, the construction of which began back in 2012, received permission to put into operation. The opening of the first phase of the complex, which is dominated by the tallest skyscraper in Europe, is scheduled for the end of next year, and for many more months work will be carried out at the new Gazprom headquarters on interior decoration, equipment and landscaping of the vast area. However, last summer, during the broadcasts of the 2018 World Cup matches, the world was able to see a new vertical dominant forming the panorama of modern St. Petersburg.

The silhouette of the 462-meter tower, the compositional center and main accent of the complex, is the embodied energy of flame, the symbol and logo of Gazprom. The five wings of the tower rotate by floor by 0.82 degrees relative to their centers, or about 90 degrees over the entire height. As they ascend, they decrease in size, thereby creating the silhouette of a spire, the proportions and shape of which allow it to be perceived as another city spire, stylistically not competing with the existing dominants historical center.

Philip Nikandrov. Photo by the Gorproekt press service

The shape of the tower is based on architectural principles laid down by the builders of ancient pyramids: the entire mass of the building is visually directed upward, concentrating at the apex point. Almost all historical vertical dominants of St. Petersburg - spiers and domes - were built according to this principle. The silhouette of the skyscraper is precisely a transitional form from a dome to a spire, with a gradual increase in the radius of curvature from an arc at the bottom to a straight line at the top. The rich plasticity of the tower facades through the organic composition of volumes gives the object dynamism, symbolizing energy and development.

The architectural and technical solutions of the Lakhta Center, on which the team of architects, designers and engineers of the Gorproekt company (general designer of the complex) have been working since 2011, are innovative in many aspects not only for Russia, but also for the whole world. The project, which does not have a single repeating (standard) floor, is technically considered one of the most complex and unique even in comparison with other mega-skyscrapers on the planet; Leaders of the global construction industry, leading contracting companies and manufacturers from Europe and Asia took part in its implementation. Solving the most complex design problems became possible only through the use of the latest BIM technologies and parametric design.

The façade solutions of the complex are especially unique. Firstly, a record amount of glass was used: the area of ​​glazed shells is about 130 thousand square meters. m, of which 72.5 thousand sq. m on the tower. m (this is 16.5 thousand double-glazed windows). In total, more than half a million square meters of glass were used in production, and glass was used not only as a translucent shell of hanging stained-glass windows, but also as a load-bearing structural material: record-high all-glass mullion stands (more than 17 m without a single seam) provide maximum visual lightness and transparency of planar stained glass windows at the level of public spaces of the atrium.

Secondly, the latest synthetic materials were used for translucent shells, for example, ETFE film, from which the pneumatic elements (“cushions”) of the skylight in the central atrium of the stylobate part of the complex are made. This solution made it possible to significantly reduce the weight of the structure of a huge lantern with a length of more than 250 m, while avoiding the risk of icing in the winter. On the facades of stylobate buildings, energy-saving double-thread glazing is used, which provides ventilation of buffer zones in a passive mode. On the tower itself, an intelligent two-thread facade was implemented, which allows (already in active mode) to automatically ventilate the buffer zones between the two threads of the facade - in the summer it will prevent heating of the premises when the ventilation valves are open, and in winter, on the contrary, it will accumulate solar energy due to the “greenhouse effect”, reducing energy consumption for heating with closed ventilation valves.

The stained glass window of the outer thread, curved in three dimensions, is assembled from huge double-glazed windows with an area of ​​11 square meters. m each. All 15 petal-faces of the facade look like a single shell of glass, curved in a spiral with a 90-degree rotation over the entire height. Each glass unit in plan is bent at an angle of 0.82 degrees when cold (without the use of molds and traditional heating in an oven up to 600 degrees), which allowed saving a huge amount of energy during production. Today, this stained glass window is the largest cold-formed façade in the world by area; it broke the record of our other project - in Moscow City.

The Lakhta Center tower, however, is not only the tallest in Europe, but also the northernmost mega-skyscraper in the world. For several months a year, the 100-meter spire will be hidden in low clouds, that is, in an area of ​​increased risk of condensation on the surfaces of its facades. Anti-icing measures are extremely important here, and the task was complicated by the fact that no one before us had built such tall buildings at such a latitude and in such a humid climate.

"Lakhta Center". Photo by the Gorproekt press service

In winter, condensation will freeze on the surfaces of the spire in the form of ice, which can threaten the fall of fragments or entire icicles, so we have developed a unique spire anti-icing system, which is designed to combat ice accumulation on large metal surfaces. In the tower spire, the glass has been replaced with stainless steel cladding with a heating system in the cold season, and a steel mesh to control the formation of dangerous ice and icicles on the shell of the upper part of the skyscraper.

A unique façade maintenance system for cleaning and repairing stained glass or replacing double-glazed windows moves along a spiral path along a rail parallel to the façade shell. Active dynamic architectural lighting and anti-icing systems are also integrated into these rails. Special sensors will monitor when it is necessary to turn on local heating in places where ice may appear. The flashing aircraft obstacle lights at the top of the spire operate 24 hours a day and are visible to air and sea ​​vessels many tens of kilometers away.

Based on the totality of innovative energy-efficient solutions used in the project, the facility claims a LEED gold certificate, which makes it a national leader in energy saving and respect for the environment. environment- after all, we are talking about the headquarters of the largest energy company.

Of course, Lakhta Center is not only a tower, it is huge complex with an area of ​​400 thousand square meters. m, of which the tower occupies only a third. The area of ​​the first phase is 8 hectares, and large landscaped spaces will appear on them: three public squares, an open amphitheater with a stage against the backdrop of the bay, an entertaining science museum with a planetarium, and a multifunctional concert hall. The tower is completed by a public observation deck in the lower space of the spire, the absolute center of attraction for tourists.

Lakhta Center is the urban flagship of the agglomeration almost in the center of the lagoon ring Gulf of Finland, surrounded by the ring highway (Ring Road) - it is in its orbit that “Greater St. Petersburg” will develop in the 21st century. And the tower on the shore of the bay, in the geometric center of this orbit, forms like a grandiose lighthouse sea ​​facade metropolis directly opposite the passenger port, which simultaneously receives tourist season 5-7 each cruise ships. And they are all met and escorted by the Lakhta Center, the symbol of modern St. Petersburg.

"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; meanwhile, the townspeople are concerned about development plans for 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 are being 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 nothing can be hidden - 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 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 within 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 the huge amount of personal vehicles parked 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 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 Russian Railways will be created right at the Lakhta site railroad station. 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. Until then there won't be this one transport infrastructure, 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 - deep-draft ships of the Moscow type will stop at the Hercules port, and smaller water taxis will berth 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 - to locate 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, 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 delays in adoption master plan city ​​for two years. 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 Lakhta Center opponents?

– In most cases, yes. Moreover, receiving feedback, we see clear acceptance by the majority of citizens of our project. 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 a 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 it still failed to reconcile all St. Petersburg residents with the new dominant, which is visible even from the Peter and Paul Fortress...

– 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 Peter-Pavel's Fortress in the 18th century or Isaac in the 19th century.

Interviewed by Ilya Kazakov,

"Fontanka.ru"

The Lakhta Center multifunctional complex, which is being built in St. Petersburg, will be put into operation in the fall of 2018. The exact opening date of the new headquarters of Gazprom has not yet been announced. However, it is known that the selection of the last tenants of the complex will be completed by spring. At the same time, the developer has already launched a competition to determine the contractor for the construction of the second stage of a large-scale project, which should seriously affect the local real estate market.

On this moment the list of companies that will occupy space in the Lakhta Center complex has already been determined, but this is not final version list. The finishing of numerous rooms in the project will start next summer, Kommersant reports.

Construction of a multifunctional headquarters for the largest Russian raw materials company has been underway since 2012. In addition to offices, the new complex will house children's scientific, educational, medical and sports centers, planetarium, congress center, banks, various cafes and restaurants.

At the moment, the central facility of the multifunctional complex has already become the tallest tower in St. Petersburg and Europe. When the skyscraper is fully constructed, its height will be 462 m, and the offices will house various departments of the Gazprom group.

According to the head of the JLL research department in St. Petersburg, Vladislav Fadeev, the launch of Lakhta Center will affect not so much commercial real estate in the construction area, but the entire city market. “As far as we know, the tower will house the headquarters of the Gazprom Neft company and the offices of PJSC Gazprom itself. Taking into account the fact that when moving to the tower, several business centers will be freed up, which in currently occupied by these companies, then we will talk about the redistribution of space throughout the entire office market of the city. This does not mean that these areas will fully enter the market; rather, they will be occupied by other structures of the corporation. However, these movements will impact the city's office real estate market as a whole. At the moment, the exact plans for the redistribution of Gazprom’s structures are unknown,” Fadeev concluded.

At the same time, even at the stage of construction of the first stage, the company realized that the space of even such a huge building would not be enough. In the future, a second line will appear at Lakhta Center. The general contractor for its construction will be selected by the end of 2017.

According to Ivan Pochinshchikov, managing partner of IPG.Estate, 300th Anniversary Park is already a point of attraction for citizens. “Various public events are held there, the park has become a place active rest. Lakhta Center is not just the headquarters of Gazprom, it is an object of urban significance. In addition to the business component, the project provides for the development of tourism infrastructure: an observation deck at the very tall building Europe, planetarium, panoramic restaurant, interactive science Center for children, exhibition hall, sports and medical Center s, an amphitheater on the shore of the bay, cafes, shops. However, it is premature to say that the Primorsky district will become another business cluster. The location will attract companies close to the corporation, but it is not worth saying that the demand will be high. It is worth understanding that the IFC will not become the only location where the company’s structures will be located,” the specialist emphasized.

In addition, now some commercial real estate in this location is also being reformatted as business centers, focusing on the emerging market situation. One such example is the Aura shopping center, which the Best company is currently converting into an office center.

Marina Puzanova, head of the commercial real estate department at Knight Frank Spb, notes that today the total leasable area of ​​functioning high-quality business centers in the local environment of Lakhta Center is 200 thousand square meters. m excluding facilities intended for the companies’ own needs. “This location is one of the five districts best supplied with speculative supply, 90% of which is represented by class B business centers. In the middle of the year, the north-western location was among the leaders in terms of vacancy levels - about 28 thousand sq. m. were available. However, The absorption rate here in the first half of the year increased by 7.6 percentage points compared to the results of the same period in 2016, which indicates an increase in the interest of potential tenants in the location. No speculative quality offices are expected to be commissioned in this business district in 2018. Rates rents for high-quality office space are in the range of 1.1–1.4 thousand rubles per 1 sq. m per month,” analyzes Puzanova.

Lakhta Center is a modern socio-economic business complex located on the shores of the Gulf of Finland in St. Petersburg. The construction is financed by Gazprom, and its central office will be located here.

It has been going on for 6 years now. And the completion date for construction was set for the third quarter of 2018.

Lakhta center opening: grandiose construction of a public and business center

The center will include a huge number of facilities: a large medical center, sports complex, a children's scientific and entertainment complex, an embankment, concert and conference halls, restaurants, offices of large companies and much more.

The key figure of the complex is a skyscraper with a height of 462 meters or 87 floors, which has become the northernmost skyscraper and the tallest building in Europe. The top will become a beacon for passing ships; searchlights are built into its hexagonal top.

Lakhta center when opening: latest information on work performed

According to the latest information from the construction press center, the last tower crane in the complex has been dismantled. All construction work is currently progressing ahead of schedule. The dismantling was supposed to be completed by the semi-final match of the 2018 World Cup.

The construction management expressed the hope that appearance the facility will evoke positive emotions among residents and guests of the “northern capital”.

Works inside the building, installation of the facades of the building and the MFZ, and work on the facades of the entrance arch are also planned for June 2018.

Lakhta center opening: commissioning of the observation deck

Information was also received from the executive director of the project, Alexander Bobkov, that the observation deck, located at an altitude of 360 meters, which corresponds to the 83-87 floors of the skyscraper, will become available to visitors only at the end of 2019. This is due to the deadlines that will be set for the entry into the complex of the main tenants of the premises.

There will be a fee for entering the site and about 50 people will be able to visit it at the same time, and it will begin to function stably in 2019-2020.

Since the bird's eye view of St. Petersburg is stunning, an influx of visitors is expected: St. Petersburg residents and tourists visiting the city. On observation deck special telescopes equipped with interactive maps, which will allow you to get acquainted with the sights of the city. According to preliminary data, 300-350 thousand people will be able to visit it during the year.

Construction of the complex has been completed. At the moment, finishing, installation work and landscaping activities are underway inside the building. The opening was planned for the end of 2019.

Where is it located and how to get to Lakhta Center

Metro (“Begovaya”) is a 20-minute walk from the complex. Construction of a transport interchange on Primorskoe Highway is underway; the updated traffic pattern will be approved after the construction is completed. Also, a parking lot for several hundred cars will be built on the territory of the business center.

Architectural concept

The complex project was developed in 2011 by the European agency RMJM. The concept reflected the main architectural symbols of the city: cathedral spiers and the endless sky. The tower “spins” around its axis. The effect is created due to the fact that each new floor base rotates almost one degree relative to the axis of the tower.

Lakhta Center. Photo: news.yandex.kz

The skyscraper's special feature is multilayer thermo-reflective glass with a special matte gray-blue coating that changes color depending on the light intensity. During the day, with a cloudless sky and clear sun, the tower takes on a blue tint; in cloudy weather, it turns gray or bronze. The glazing is smooth, thanks to which a special optical effect is achieved - white clouds seem to rise along the wall of the structure.

What is inside

The following facilities will be located in the public and business complex:

• Panoramic restaurant. The two-level restaurant is located at an altitude of 320 meters. Even before the opening, the restaurant was named the tallest in Europe. The concept of the establishment is traditional Russian cuisine.
• A transformable hall is a space that can be divided into two rooms. The wall configuration and seating arrangement may change to suit the format of the event.
• Planetarium. An ultra-modern center with unique optical and digital equipment, designed for the simultaneous presence of 140 people. The planetarium is equipped with a 16-meter dome screen, which displays a 3D projection solar system. Guests will be able to take part in a space show and walk on the surface of Mars.

Planetarium project. Photo: lakhta.center

• Center for educational and scientific events. The exhibition area is 7 thousand square meters. meters. The center will host master classes, scientific seminars and lectures for a wide audience.
• Sports complex. In a space of 4.6 thousand square meters. meters there will be gyms and fitness rooms, SPA complexes, swimming pools and massage rooms.
• Medical Center. The multifunctional complex will provide high-quality medical services to residents of the Primorsky district in all areas.
• Atrium, shopping areas. Shops and retail outlets are located on the ground floor of the building. An exhibition space for expositions and art objects is open in the southern wing of the building.
• Offices. The main area of ​​the high-rise is reserved for work space. From 70 to 120 employees will be able to be present on one floor. A comfortable temperature and microclimate will be maintained by an intelligent system.

Panoramic platform Lakhta Center

On the 360th floor of the Lakhta Center tower there is an observation deck with telescopes for studying the historical part Northern capital and the Gulf of Finland. It is expected that the skyscraper site will become one of the most visited and beloved modern attractions of the city. Currently, a webcam is installed on the 360th floor, broadcasting a real-time panorama of the surrounding area. Elagin Island and the park named after Elagin are especially clearly visible. 300th anniversary of St. Petersburg and the Zenit Arena stadium.

View of Lakhta Center. Photo: @lakhtacenter

The Lakhta Center became a symbol of St. Petersburg long before its opening. On the night of December 31 to January 1, 2019, bright green lights were lit on the façade of the building, thus turning the high-rise into a giant New Year tree for the city.