"Lakhta Center": what lies behind the high-altitude boundaries. An entire city will be spread out under the Lakhta Center tower. Cities will be built in Lakhta Center

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 at the 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. The total area of the future building will be 400 thousand m2. 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 in the 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, directed into the sky like a rocket at the start, is located on the shore Gulf of Finland, will form new standards of city life 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 its historical high-rise buildings - St. Isaac's Cathedral, Peter and Paul Cathedral - are center points, around which independent and integral buildings were built. Therefore, in order not to spoil the appearance of the museum city, 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:

Under office premises it is planned to allocate only 43% of the total area.
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 an 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.
The complex will also include an indoor footbridge, which will connect the Lakhta Center space with the city’s 300th anniversary park.

Other characteristics

Let's get acquainted with the interesting technical and design features of the Gazprom tower 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".

Let's take a final look fun 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.

One of the tallest buildings in Russia and Europe - the modern skyscraper Lakhta Center - is located in the Primorsky district of St. Petersburg. Its construction began in 2012, the building was put into operation in 2018, and the opening of the Lakhta Center is scheduled for early 2020. In addition to the headquarters of Gazprom, there will be offices, scientific and business centers, an amphitheater, sports club and other infrastructure. The main highlight of the tower will be the observation deck, which offers a panoramic view of St. Petersburg and the Gulf of Finland. The cost of the Lakhta Center is estimated at 2.5 billion dollars.

Observation deck of Lakhta Center

The most anticipated object of the complex is considered observation deck, which will be located at an altitude of 360 meters, on the top floor. It will be a panoramic site with a 360° viewing angle and telescopes for a detailed view. High-speed elevators will be available to lift visitors up. It is planned that the Lakhta Center observation deck will become one of the most popular tourist attractions in the city.

Christmas tree

Despite the fact that the official opening of the skyscraper has not yet taken place, Lakhta Center is already taking part in cultural life Northern capital. In honor of the New Year, on December 31, festive lighting was lit on the façade of the building, turning the tower into the world's tallest green Christmas tree.

Video of New Year's greetings:

Lakhta Center webcam

Currently, a webcam is installed at the observation deck level, which broadcasts a panorama of St. Petersburg and the Gulf of Finland in real time. You can see the popular attractions of the city - the park named after the 300th anniversary of St. Petersburg, the Gazprom Arena stadium, the Yacht Bridge, Elagin Island and other objects.

Floor plan and architecture

Due to the widespread media coverage of the construction of this facility, many are interested in the question “how many floors are there in the Lakhta Center and what will be there?” According to the project, the tower has 87 floors, and total area premises is 400 thousand square meters. meters, of which 130 thousand square meters are designated for offices. meters. Almost 40 elevators are planned to be launched to move between floors. In addition to the main building, the complex includes two more buildings, which are located on the sides of the tower. Their height varies from 22 to 85 meters.

Lakhta Center Project

In addition to the observation deck and Gazprom headquarters, the complex will house the following facilities:

Panoramic restaurant Lakhta Center. The halls will be located on the 75th and 76th floors (height about 320 meters). This will be a nice alternative viewing platform. Based on the results of the selection of applicants for the creation of the restaurant, at the beginning of 2019 the management company announced the winner. They were famous Russian football players - the Berezutsky brothers, who proposed the concept of a restaurant of Russian cuisine, the basis of which would be Russian-made products and unique recipes from all over the country.
Multifunctional hall - transformer and congress center. Unique Feature This hall is that, if necessary, it can be divided into two rooms. This is the first such facility in St. Petersburg. The seating arrangement and stage configuration can be changed to suit the format of the event. It is planned that the transforming hall will host concerts, performances, fashion shows and other events.
Scientific and educational center. The main task scientific center there will be popularization of science among the population. The center will be open to a wide audience, educational events will be held here - lectures, exhibitions. The exhibition area reaches 7000 square meters. meters.
Medical center. The Lakhta Center diagnostic and treatment complex is designed to provide services to residents of the Primorsky district of St. Petersburg. Equipped with the most modern equipment, the medical center will provide dental, therapeutic, surgical and other services.
Sports complex. In Lakhta Center it is planned to create a large sports center with an area of 4600 sq. meters. There will be gyms, group exercise rooms, swimming pools, relaxation and wellness centers.
Atrium, shopping areas, expositions. For office workers and visitors to the skyscraper there will be exhibition halls for art objects and works of art, a multimedia hall, as well as cafes, canteens and shops.
Offices. Management company offers offices for rent ranging from 650 to 2100 sq. m. meters. Detailed information from the administration, contacts can be found on the official website of the Lakhta Center.

At the foot of the tower, on the territory overlooking the bay, it is planned to build amphitheater. Designed for 2,000 seats, the facility will be the first structure of this type in St. Petersburg. The amphitheater is oriented towards the sea; according to the architects' plan, the stage can be water or a coastal strip.

Architectural solution

Since the Lakhta Center building has an extreme height, during the development of the project and construction, much attention was paid to the stability and safety of the structure. The main tower has a central core made of reinforced concrete, within which the most important communications and security zones are located. The foundation of the skyscraper stands on 2080 piles, and the floors and columns are made of metal and concrete.

The architectural concept of Lakhta Center was developed by RMJM in 2011. As conceived by the authors, the outlines of the skyscraper fit perfectly into the landscape of St. Petersburg and form a harmonious combination with the spiers and domes of the Peter and Paul Cathedral.

The glazing of the Lakhta Center is made without joints, which gives the building lightness - the smooth walls of the facade reflect water and clouds.

How to get to Lakhta Center in St. Petersburg

Metro near Lakhta Center

The nearest metro station "Begovaya" is located in walking distance from a skyscraper. The walk will take about 20 minutes, but while the tower is not open, you can admire it from the territory of the park of the 300th anniversary of St. Petersburg.

Route from the metro to Lakhta Center:

The authorities plan to build new station metro station "Lakhta". The project is included in the metro development plan until 2025.

Ground transportation

There is a stop near the Lakhta Center public transport- “15th km Lakhta”. There are buses No. 101, 101a, 110, 211, 216 and minibuses No. 206, 210, 232, 305, 305a, 400, 405, 417, 425.

In addition, to travel around St. Petersburg, you can use applications from taxi services Uber, Gett, Yandex. Taxi, Maxim, Taxovichkof, etc.

Presentation of Lakhta Center: video tour

Night lighting of Lakhta Center: panorama-google

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 the 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 facade 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 its icing in winter time. 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.

Curved in three dimensions, the stained glass window of the outer thread 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 the zone increased risk condensation on the surfaces of its facades. Measures to combat icing are extremely important here, and the task was complicated by the fact that no one before us had built such a tall buildings.

"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 of rails 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 obstruction 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 terms of energy saving and respect for the 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 publicly accessible observation deck in the lower space of the spire, an absolute center of attraction for tourists.

“Lakhta Center” is the urban flagship of the agglomeration practically in the center of the lagoon ring of the 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, like a grandiose lighthouse forms the sea facade of the metropolis directly opposite the passenger port, which simultaneously receives the summer 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:
what is it worth
for high-rise
boundaries

Partnership project

Skyscrapers are the vanguard of the construction industry. Super-tall buildings always require a special approach from their creators. In 2018, construction of the Lakhta Center will be completed in St. Petersburg, which will become the tallest skyscraper in Europe. What technologies are used to build the St. Petersburg giant?

New height Europe

The Lakhta Center social and business complex is being built in the Primorsky district of St. Petersburg, on the coast of the Gulf of Finland. Its center will be the headquarters of the Gazprom group and the Gazprom Neft company; the other part of the area will be occupied by public spaces: a scientific and educational complex for children and youth, a planetarium, exhibition spaces, medical and sports centers, a multifunctional transforming hall and others.

The complex consists of four structures: a multifunctional building with an atrium, a stylobate (there will be a parking lot and auxiliary premises), an arch of the main entrance and a skyscraper 462 meters high. It is he who will become the tallest not only in Russia, but throughout Europe. The Lakhta Center supertoll will by 88 meters outgrow the current European record holder - the Federation Tower in Moscow City - and will be in 11th place in the world high-rise ranking.

Construction site in the swamp

There is an opinion that St. Petersburg is built on viscous soils, and it is impossible to build skyscrapers here. Experts answer: you can build anywhere, but you need good planning. The construction of the St. Petersburg supertoll was preceded by a year and a half of engineering and geological research. The authors of the project studied the geological, geodetic, environmental, historical and cultural features of the site.

It turned out that weak soils make up only the top layer. Beneath it lies the Vendian horizon - these are the oldest clays, which are 635-540 million years old. As strong as rock or concrete, these clays are an excellent support for a skyscraper. But getting to them is not easy: in the way of construction equipment there are deposits of the Ice Age in the form of giant boulders and sandy loams with gravel. A set of studies, calculations and full-scale tests became the basis for creating the Lakhta Center design.

Device: base

Piles and protective wall

The foundation is protected from pressure and water in the upper layers of soil by a pentagonal underground structure along the perimeter of the base of the skyscraper. Its height is 30 meters, the length of the walls is more than 300 meters. There are 264 piles installed inside the pentagon, going to a depth of 82 meters. Their diameter is 2 meters. These are the widest piles in the world. The foundation piles of a skyscraper are not driven in, but created right on the spot - in the ground. The shaft is drilled, then a reinforced frame is installed and filled with concrete.

Foundation

The foundation of a skyscraper rests on piles. It consists of three slabs separated by ten radial walls radiating out from the core. The most famous of the slabs is the lower one, 3.6 meters thick. It was she who got into the Guinness Book of Records: builders laid 19,624 cubic meters of concrete at the base of the building in 49 hours. Moreover, the uniqueness of the slab is not in its physical size, but in the technique that provides the necessary load-bearing capacity with optimal dimensions of the structure.

Read more about the record at the Lakhta Center site

Each pile under the tower is a separate complex engineering structure the height of a 30-story building. Control over its construction is a whole system, including video monitoring cameras lowered into the shaft and ultrasonic sensors installed in the reinforcement of the pile frame to determine the density and absence of voids.

Pressure test

The weight of the Lakhta Center tower will be 670 thousand tons, pressing on the ground of a relatively small area. Under pressure, the soil will compact and the skyscraper will settle - just like any other building. The main task is to ensure that this settlement occurs evenly and the building does not deviate from the vertical. To monitor the behavior of the soil, underground structures and their interaction, a geomonitoring system has been created that combines 4,800 sensors.

Sensors are placed both in the ground and in all elements of the tower’s underground structures. Thus, 95 sensors “monitor” vertical movements, 40 – pore pressure of the soil, 336 measure deformations in piles, 10 – pressure under the base of the foundation, 2136 – the dynamics of forces in foundation structures. All sensors are combined into an automatic system. After the construction of every five new floors of the tower, the system provides a full report of what is happening with the soil, piles, and foundation. Such knowledge is useful not only for builders, but also for scientific research.

Vertical management

The precipitation can proceed evenly. But the building itself can be built with a slope. This would not be surprising at a height of almost half a kilometer: an uncorrected deviation of 1 mm at the bottom would result in a deviation of 1 meter at the top. “Lakhta Center” cannot afford a strong deviation: a skyscraper is stable “in an inclination” only if it is specially designed this way (like, for example, Capital Gate - the building with the largest inclination in the world: at 160 meters in height - 18 degrees of inclination). The maximum deviation of the Lakhta Center core allowed by the project is 6 millimeters over the entire 462 meters. And the goal is to shift the deviation delta to zero, although in world practice no one has yet succeeded in achieving absolute zero.

How can the St. Petersburg supertoll not turn into Leaning Tower of Pisa?

There are examples of buildings in the world that successfully exist in a state of deviation from the vertical by meters. For example, a church from 1382 in Bad Frankenhuasen: the deviation of the spire from the vertical is 4.45 meters with a “height” of 25 meters.

Device: design

A skyscraper cannot simply be built “as long as there are enough bricks.” There are different systems that ensure the stability of supertall buildings. At the Lakhta Center tower it consists of a core, outriggers and load-bearing columns along the perimeter of the building.

It is a “pipe” with a diameter of 24.5 meters with a reinforced concrete wall thickness of 0.8 meters. Responsible for vertical stability.

Outriggers

Outriggers located on technical floors consist of a ring beam around the core and diagonal metal trusses and columns extending from it. These elements transfer forces from the core to the outer columns and reduce the supporting moment at the bottom of the building, and also impart horizontal rigidity - for example, they dampen the sway of the tower from the wind. There are five outriggers in the Lakhta Center tower, of which four have the form of double floors, and the fifth is atypical, in the form of a powerful reinforced concrete “puck”

Made of composite materials - steel core with reinforced concrete shell. This solution was used for the first time in civil engineering in Russia. Thanks to it, the cost of columns is significantly reduced, and the construction period

is reduced by 40%, all other things being equal.

Twisted form

According to the creators, the Lakhta Center tower was conceived as a modern interpretation of the high-rise dominant, standing out against the background of the traditional horizontal development of St. Petersburg. Its “brothers” - the spire of the Peter and Paul Cathedral, the Admiralty Needle, the dome of St. Isaac's Cathedral - adorn the city center, while the new supertoll will become an organizing element in the rapidly developing Primorsky district. The new skyscraper will play the role of the main accent of the business space that will appear along the “sea façade” of the city.

“The shape of the building symbolizes the energy of water, the flow of spaces, openness and lightness,” explain the authors of the project. – The effect of weightlessness and maximum merging of the future complex with environment will be enhanced through the use of a special type of glass, thanks to which, depending on the time of day, the high-rise building will change color, which will create the feeling of a “living object”.

Device: facade

The Lakhta Center tower twists around its axis by 90 degrees. There are certain features in the construction of such a building. For example, due to expansion, contraction and “torsion”, all 189 thousand components of the tower’s metal structures differ from each other (strictly speaking, only two are the same). The facade elements also differ in shape and curve: 16,505 panels cover an area of 72,500 square meters, while 71% of the double-glazed windows differ from each other in size and geometry. The size of each double-glazed window is 2.8 by 4.2 meters, weight is 740 kilograms. To maintain such a demanding structure, a special facade maintenance system (abbreviated SOF) has been developed. With its help, the facades will be kept clean and, if necessary, repaired.

How to collect 189,000 parts and never make a mistake?

Reserve for the future

Conquering heights is always a matter of having the appropriate technology. Elevator, ventilation, electricity - at one time, high-rise buildings were the first to experience all these “new products”. After a successful start, the production of technologies became widespread: from the category of exclusive benefits, they moved into the category of minimum standards for the construction of standard housing and public buildings.

The construction of skyscrapers led to the development of modern lifting construction equipment, the invention of building stability structures, the introduction of new fire safety technologies, and modern high-strength building materials. High-rise construction is an area where orders for high-tech solutions are formed, which will then be transferred to other areas of our life.

"Walking" mechanisms for building a skyscraper

The St. Petersburg “Lakhta Center” is actively introducing technologies - some for the first time in the regional and Russian construction market, some - in the global one. The significance of this construction for the construction industry can be assessed later, but it is already clear how the environment is changing: joint production ventures are emerging, qualified personnel are growing, suppliers are using new technical solutions - this is how new heights in quality standards are being mastered.

They prepared for pouring the bottom slab in advance, because it is impossible to “redo” the work. The participants rehearsed everything they could. For example, 13 concrete supply plants practiced producing a concrete mixture using a unique recipe until they achieved its absolute identity.

The pouring speed was more than 400 cubic meters per hour, and the mixers made more than 2,450 trips. The process was organized in such a way that the event local residents we learned from the media - there was no additional traffic jam on the busy Primorskoye Highway, no noise from the construction site.

The deviation delta is monitored by surveyors. They have seven equipment systems (optical and laser) in their arsenal; duplication helps double-check instrument readings. Three of the seven geodetic systems are presented in Russia for the first time, but have proven themselves well at the world's leading construction sites.

World geodetic premiere – pulsed high-speed laser scanner with a two-axis compensator. The device is being used for the first time in the construction of a skyscraper. With its help, Lakhta Center builders check the position of metal structures inside a concrete environment when manufacturing, for example, composite columns with a steel core inside a concrete structure.

To guide the core in a strictly vertical course, “space” technology is also used - the Trimble 4D Control geodetic device. It uses a satellite signal and a system of geosensors installed at the construction site. Using GPS and GLONASS readings, the system determines the exact coordinates of the core and the displacement delta, which is constantly adjusted based on the data received.

For assembly they use BIM, a relatively new technology for Russia. It is a virtual three-dimensional model of the building that combines all the data from the design documentation. By adding a time dimension, a virtual technology for constructing an object is built: projects for organizing construction, work execution, and supply logistics. At Lakhta Center, one more application has been added to the standard use of the model. Due to its complex geometry, the tower is assembled from metal structures, each of which has a single possible installation location. The correctness of the assembly is controlled, including using BIM. Structures delivered to the site have barcodes associated with the BIM model. The part code clearly indicates its installation location in the overall structure.

Builders say about the St. Petersburg supertoll that it is “handmade.” We are talking about the uniqueness of solutions, and as for labor, everything that is possible is automated. For example, a “sliding” (automated) formwork system is used to construct the core.

Formwork is a form for concreting, formed by two rows of panels, the space between which is the future core wall. Concrete is poured between the panels and hardens.

Conventional formwork needs to be unfastened, moved to a new location and reassembled - a huge loss of time and productivity. And the automatic one “moves” with the help of hydraulic jacks as concrete is poured.

Such self-moving tools are very popular at the Lakhta construction site. The wind protection on the tower works on a similar principle - its panels slide along with the formwork. The “walking” mechanisms include a crane in the core of the tower - the first of its kind in St. Petersburg.

The high-rise business center under construction in St. Petersburg is often called the Gazprom tower. This building will be the tallest in the Northern capital and the second largest in Europe after the Ostankino Tower. The skyscraper is being built by Gazprom and will house the headquarters of this concern and its company.

Let us recall that initially the construction of a business center 400 meters high was planned to be carried out on a site of 4.7 hectares in the center of the Northern capital, which caused a sharp protest from city defenders and the public. The object fell into security zone, where the monuments included in the list of UNESCO sites are located.

Soon, the governor of St. Petersburg, Valentina Matvienko, canceled the decree allowing the developer to deviate from the permitted height of 100 meters in this place.

A new site of 14 hectares for the construction of the Lakhta tower is located in the north of St. Petersburg at the exit of the city between the Gulf of Finland and Primorskoye Highway. The distance from the construction site to the city center is about 10 km. According to experts, now the Lakhta Tower, although it will be visible from almost all areas of the city, will not block the sights of St. Petersburg and dominate historical sites.

At the same time, the tower will be clearly visible from the sea; it will become a kind of lighthouse, welcoming those sailing into the city by sea. This will be a landmark object of the sea facade of the Northern capital.

Unlike the old project, in Lakhta Center, in addition to the office part, social infrastructure premises will be located.

The office part will occupy premises in the tower itself, and the buildings at its base will be used for social facilities - shops, sports and medical centers, a children's educational center and a planetarium.

At the top of the tower there will be an observation deck, a revolving restaurant and a conference room.

Lakhta Center Tower - brief description

The customer and investor of the project is Gazprom Neft, the construction project was carried out by the British architectural bureau RMJM - Robert Matthew Johnson Marshal.

The general contractor is the Turkish company Renaissance Construction (created in St. Petersburg in the 1990s, founded by Turkish businessmen). Dozens of institutes and construction organizations are involved in the construction of the building.

The height of the building with the spire will be 462 meters, and the total weight of the tower with all the infrastructure, glazing and even furniture and people will be 670 thousand tons.

The area of one office floor is from 668 to 2060 sq. m. meters.

From the side of the Gulf of Finland, the Lakhta Tower center will appear in all its splendor in the form of a spire soaring upward. It can also be compared to a drop of water flying upward.

Peter the Great conceived Petersburg as the sea capital of Russia. And according to the authors of the project, from afar, from the sea, the Lakhta center will look like a snow-white yacht.

The project includes several architectural highlights, the main ones being a modern planetarium and an outdoor amphitheater.

Planetarium

The planetarium, designed for 140 people, will occupy unusual place- at the height of the fifth floor of one of the buildings adjacent to the tower. It will look like a huge ball, which seems to have been thrown into the building with all its might, and it stuck to the facade. Of course, such a spectacular form of the building cannot but interest everyone who walks or drives by.

During the sessions, a variety of special effects will be used - a moving floor and illusions of lightning and rain, virtual smoke and smells.

Amphitheater

The idea of creating an open amphitheater facing the sea is associated with the need for a smooth transition from the high roof to the water space. Here spectators will be able to admire water fountains and various shows on the water, as well as participate in theatrical performances and competitions.

When laying the foundation, many principles were taken from nature. Thus, the piles at the base of the building, like the roots of a giant tree, go 82 meters into the ground. Above the piles, a “box-shaped” foundation 17 meters high was built, which guarantees the stability of the building
The maximum permissible deviation of the structure from the vertical over the entire height is no more than 6 millimeters. Not to be confused with the vibration amplitude of a building during a storm wind
Double-glazed windows have passed a variety of tests: under high pressure of water, air currents and fire. The glass is made using a special film that will not allow the glass to break into fragments
All materials used in construction are non-flammable or fire resistant. But despite this, the evacuation of people was thought out as much as possible. In the event of a fire alarm, air is pumped into the central core, made of reinforced concrete, which prevents it from becoming smoke-filled. By moving to the central core, where there are stairs, a person is safe
A special system will be used to wash windows, which moves along rails located on the ribs of the tower.
In case of strong wind, the top of the building can deviate by 46 cm from the vertical, and at the level of the observation deck (at an altitude of 357 meters) the maximum deviation will be 27 cm
To prevent birds from crashing into the windows, the double-glazed windows are edged with opaque material, and the glass itself is non-mirror. In addition, during mass flights of flocks, the lighting will be “scaring.” This way the birds will see the glass.

Adjacent territory

An entrance for office employees will be located on the east side of the building. This part of the complex will appear in the form of an arch with a span of 100 meters.

A pedestrian zone with a length of 8 km will begin on the south-eastern side. It will include a bridge and a huge space for holding public celebrations and festive events.

The northern part of the territory will be used for various exhibitions, and in addition, in the future a railway platform and a metro station will be built here.

In addition, next to the tower there will be parking for tourist buses and the Poltava ship museum.

Transport infrastructure

In the future, it is planned to establish a transfer between the Lakhta center and the Chernaya Rechka and Staraya Derevnya metro stations. A metro station is expected to be built in 2025.

Development transport infrastructure contributes primarily to the World Cup. In 2018, the Begovaya metro station will be opened, one of the exits of which is located at a distance of just over a kilometer from the Lakhta center, that is, within walking distance.

The Lakhta Center Tower will become the center of the new business district of St. Petersburg, one might say Petersburg City, and the development of transport infrastructure will turn this undeveloped area of the Northern capital into an example of a modern and high-quality urban environment. We would like to remind you that the facility is scheduled to be commissioned in 2018.