Portuguese 
English 
Spanish 
4 min of reading 
0 comments 
Twisted structure on the shores of the Gulf of Finland combines deep foundations, solutions against strong winds, and high-performance glass façade in a large-scale project in Russia, altering the landscape of St. Petersburg and consolidating the Lakhta Center among the tallest skyscrapers in the world.
On the shores of the Gulf of Finland, in St. Petersburg, the Lakhta Center reaches 462 meters in height and is recognized as the tallest building in Russia and Europe, with a twisted structure that has become part of the city’s urban landscape.
Designed to house the headquarters of Gazprom, the complex was planned for a coastal region subject to strong winds, low stability soils, and harsh winters, with recorded temperatures below -20 °C at certain times of the year.
Construction began in 2012, reached its final height in 2018, and is part of a multifunctional complex with offices, public areas, a conference center, and support facilities distributed over a large built area.
-
Mega project in São Paulo is impressing America: Rodoanel Norte will have a 44 km extension, 14 tunnels, a 50-meter high viaduct, and the final section delivered after years of stoppage and excavations equivalent to 13 Olympic swimming pools.
-
A real house that inflates with a blower like a giant dome and is ready in about two hours: it’s the Japanese invention that stands without any pillars, can be carried by six adults, and promises to transform disaster victim relief.
-
With a length of 1,410 meters, the largest bridge in Mato Grosso is being built over the Juruena River and has already reached 66% completion. It promises to replace a one-hour ferry crossing with a crossing of less than a minute between Cotriguaçu and Nova Bandeirantes.
-
For 44,900 reais, you get a complete modular house of 18 square meters with a finished bathroom, vinyl flooring, a porch, and windows on both sides, and best of all: it is ready in just 30 days, much faster than a regular container.
In the architectural design, the tower features a continuous rotation of almost 90 degrees between the base and the top, a characteristic that associates its shape with a flame or a sail facing the Baltic Sea region.
Lakhta Center foundation overcame unstable soil
Before the tower’s elevation, the project had to deal with the conditions of the coastal terrain in St. Petersburg, where layers of unstable soil and the presence of underground water required specific foundation solutions.
To transfer the building’s loads to more resistant layers, engineers used 264 bored piles, about 2 meters in diameter, installed at a depth compatible with the structural requirements of the tower.
Above this system, a box-shaped foundation was executed, formed by thick slabs and radial concrete walls, responsible for distributing the weight of the central core and the main columns of the building.
In March 2015, the concreting of the lower slab was recorded by the Guinness World Records by reaching 19,624 cubic meters of concrete poured continuously in 49 hours.
Spiral structure required millimetric control
In the structural system, the reinforced concrete central core functions as the building’s support axis, while steel and concrete composite columns assist in absorbing vertical loads and resisting wind forces.
As each floor has a slight variation from the previous one, a large part of the metal components needed to be custom-made, with no possibility of direct substitution between different positions within the structure.
The assembly of the metal structure involved tens of thousands of tons of steel, the use of large cranes, constant topographic monitoring, and alignment control throughout the construction stages.
This control was necessary because small deviations on the lower floors could cause larger displacements at the top, especially in a tower 462 meters high with a spiral geometry.
Glass facade became the visual trademark of the tower
On the outside, the facade of the Lakhta Center comprises approximately 16,500 glass panels, with modules adapted to the continuous curvature created by the rotation of the tower along the floors.
Instead of using only curved glass molded by traditional methods, the project adopted modules adjusted in aluminum structures, a solution employed to maintain the visual continuity of the external surface.
The building also received a high-performance facade system, developed to reduce thermal losses in winter, limit heat gains in summer, and contribute to the energy efficiency of the complex.
The LEED Platinum certification awarded to the project is related to the set of environmental solutions applied in the building, including energy performance measures, resource management, and operation in cold climates.
Pinnacle completes the 462 meters of height
At the top, the tower maintains the spiral movement of the building and ends in a metal pinnacle, an element responsible for completing the official height of 462 meters attributed to the Lakhta Center.
In this section, part of the enclosure uses a metal mesh to reduce weight, decrease wind-related loads, and limit ice accumulation in severe weather conditions, common in the region during winter.
Besides the structural and visual function, the top concentrates technical systems related to the building’s operation, including ventilation, communication, and meteorological monitoring equipment installed at high altitudes.
With this configuration, the tower brings together architectural, structural engineering, and building operation solutions in an area that has started to receive new urban investments on the coast of the Gulf of Finland.
New architectural landmark of Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg has historically been associated with a landscape formed by lower buildings, especially in the central area, where constructions recognized for their architectural and cultural value are concentrated.
The implementation of the project in Lakhta, outside the historical core, allowed for the erection of a tall tower without placing the skyscraper directly over the city’s traditional urban ensemble.
Since the construction of the Lakhta Center, the region has become associated with a new front of urban development, with the expansion of infrastructure, services, and public spaces near the coast of the Gulf of Finland.
Besides its corporate function, the building incorporates engineering applications in deep foundations, complex facades, composite structures, and construction in extreme climates, features that explain its technical relevance among contemporary skyscrapers.
Be the first to react!