This is my first post on Russian projects. If you've followed building development in Russia, you might have noticed that the Russians have begun a great deal of high rise projects lately, and this particular one is a very good example of how far the Russian high rise expansion has come. This project is designed by the architectural firm RMJM, and in honor of their work, I'll let them tell the rest about their project:
RMJM was appointed to design the new headquarters of one of the world’s largest companies – Russian gas giant Gazprom in December 2006. Our winning proposal is a 396 metre high twisting glass needle which echoes the spires across the city of St Petersburg.
RMJM’s designs for the development propose a new spire for the city. The inspiration for the design comes from the concept of energy in water - the site is located on the River Neva, with the form of the building deriving its shape from the changing nature of water, ever changing light, reflections and refraction. The five-sided tower twists as it rises to delicately touch the sky.
RMJM’s proposal also features a unique environmental strategy, which acts as a low energy ‘fur coat’. The double-layered skin of the tower will allow the maximization of daylight and the minimization of heat loss in the extreme St Petersburg environment.
The project is, as you probably have noticed by now, rather eye-catching. When keeping in mind that St. Petersburg is a city which mostly consists of more historical architecture, one can wonder how well such a modern high rise integrates with its surroundings. It's height of almost 400 m (almost 100 m taller than the former tallest building in Europe) may also be somewhat odd in its historical surroundings, but one thing is for sure: it will be visible from anywhere in the city, symbolizing the power and wealth of the Russian mega-firm Gazprom. One can wonder if this building is a monument to the company's wealth, or rather an almost envying display of ridiculous power.
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