Scotland-based architect Kettle Collective has unveiled its design for a spiralling 703m tower for St Petersburg, Russia that would be the second highest skyscraper in the world next to Dubai’s Burj Khalifa (828m). Â
Although the Burj is taller, this tower, called Lakhta Centre II, would have the highest occupied floor in the world at 590m, the firm said in a press release, adding it would knock the Shanghai Tower (632m) from its current place as the world’s second tallest tower, at 632m.
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The tower would be located on the outskirts of St Petersburg next to Europe’s tallest building, the Lakhta Center (462m), which is the headquarters of energy giant Gazprom.
Gazprom yesterday revealed its proposal for Lakhta Center II in a meeting with St Petersburg city government, saying the tower would be built on land Gazprom would provide.Â
The company said the project would "be implemented via project financing outside the scope of Gazprom’s investment program by a special-purpose company unaffiliated with Gazprom".Â
The existing Lakhta Center seen from the shore of the Neva Bay in Olgino (Alexey Komarov/CC BY-SA 4.0)
Kettle Collective design lead Tony Kettle designed the existing Lakhta Centre when he worked at architectural firm RMJM, winning a competition in 2006.
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He said the new tower would be "a template of sustainable design for global high-rise projects", with features including multi-car lifts powered by energy generated by their own movement.
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He said the spiralling exterior columns would form an "open organic helical diagrid".
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Kettle Collective managing director Colin Bone said the tower would have national significance, "showcasing Russia on the world stage as an investor in business, innovation and creative thinking".
- Edited 26 May to include information about Gazprom’s involvement in the scheme
Top image: Kettle Collective’s rendering of the Lakhta Center II
