Gazprom: Lighting concept for St. Petersburg TV Tower and architectural concept for third high-rise of Lakhta Center complex unveiled

New city planning initiatives were presented today at the meeting of the Inter-Agency Council in charge of implementing the Agreement of Cooperation between St. Petersburg and Gazprom.

As part of Gazprom’s large-scale efforts for the architectural and artistic lighting of historic sites, central streets, and new districts of the city, a new lighting concept for the St. Petersburg TV Tower with the use of kinetic panels was unveiled.

A kinetic media facade with a total area of 14,568 square meters will produce an effect of a “living object” via moving reflectors and LEDs changing their colors in unison.

As a result, the engineering structure acting as a digital television transmitter will take its rightful place among the city’s architectural landmarks.

With the purpose of further development of the social and business district established around the Lakhta Center, the concept of a third skyscraper was unveiled. With the new skyscraper, a harmonious architectural ensemble of three modern high-rises will emerge on the coast of the Gulf of Finland.

The well-balanced, functional and elegant architectural composition of the new tower approximates the golden ratio. The tower is shaped as an exponential logarithmic spiral. The skyscraper has two wings intertwined around translucent closed atriums.

The wings of the tower rise up the spiral, intersecting at pivot points and blending together to form atrium lobbies. Each of the lobbies creates an inflection point that separates the tower into seven groups. As the atriums move up the tower, they get closer to one another, and every lower group is as tall as two upper groups combined, in line with the golden ratio principle. This solution makes it possible to position most of the public spaces at the top viewing levels.

The tower’s design solution is based on an innovative diagonal scheme that supports and stabilizes the building in lieu of a standard central structural core. The spiraling arrises help “diffuse” the wind loads affecting the high-rise. Light frames are used to support the open shafts of the panoramic elevators.

According to the concept, the tower will be 555 meters tall (108 levels) and will have a total area of about 179,000 square meters. The three-level stylobate will house service facilities and a parking lot. The building’s top level will be located at the height of 453 meters and will have an observation gallery.

The new high-rise will be in dialogue with the elegant curves of the already built Lakhta Center and the spiral shape of the projected Lakhta Center 2.

Architectural ensembles have been a mainstay of St. Petersburg since its founding. In keeping with this city planning tradition, a modern architectural ensemble is now being established on the coast of the Gulf of Finland to showcase St. Petersburg from the seaside.