The 87-story Lakhta Center took six years of construction to reach its completion finally. The supertall skyscraper rises to a height of 462-m and will become Europe’s tallest building as well as the 13th tallest building in the world. The Lakhta Center consists of a skyscraper and surrounding public space. The structure of the tower has been completed and now the work is being done on the interior.
To complete the construction of the interior, 20,000 people from 18 different countries are involved. The foundation of the building required concrete to be poured for 49 hours without stopping for once. It measures 72,500 sqm and consists of 16,505 individual pieces of glass. The skyscraper takes the form of a spire with five wings which twist to 90 degrees from top to bottom. It also has an observation deck at 357m and a restaurant to give the panoramic views of the area.
Once the building becomes operational, it will host workers of Russian gas giant Gazprom. The Lakhta Center is much taller than other high-profile European towers like the Shard which is almost 310-m high. The East Federation Tower in Moscow at 373-m is also left behind by Lakhta Tower. Dubai’s Burj Khalifa still holds to reign supreme as the world’s tallest skyscraper so far. It has twice the height of the Lakhta Center.
The Lakhta Center has been pre-certified LEED Gold and has energy efficient design as well. It has integrated mechanical ventilation systems which reduce the air-conditioning use and rainwater will be recycled for irrigation. The 34 elevators in the building generate electricity while going downwards and efficient LED lights are adjusted accordingly, depending on the availability of natural light.
Currently, there is a dispute going on regarding the ownership of the tower. Many people believe that RMJM’s Tony Kettle was responsible for the initial design. However, Philip Nikandrov, chief architect at Russian Firm Gorproject, said that his firm believes that the differences between his original concept and the finished tower are significant enough to make Gorproject the design agency.
