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Russia: The tallest skyscraper in Europe has just been finished

Credits: Youtube Screenshot / Лахта Центр

Located in the city of St. Petersburg, the Lakhta Center is higher than 400 metres.  The building was commissioned by the Russian energy giant Gazprom which will use it as their headquarters.  It is the tallest skyscraper on the European continent but it doesn’t quite make it into the Top 10 tallest buildings in the world!   

Before this skyscraper broke the record as the tallest building in Europe, the previous tower to hold the record was also found in Russia.  The Federation’s Complex or the Vostok Tower is located in the country’s capital city of Moscow.  Completed in 2015, this skyscraper measures 373 metres in height. On the 29th October 2018, the Lakhta Center officially took the title measuring 462 metres tall.

According to the official page of the project, it is the first “supertall building” (measuring more than 300 metres) in the historic town of St.Petersburg.  It is also the 13th tallest building in the world.  It’s ranking falls is between Hong Kong’s International Commerce Centre built in 2010 (484 m) and the Landmark 81 built in 2018 in Vietnam (461.2 m).

Covering eighty-seven floors altogether, the Lakhta Center’s exterior design looks a little like a bent pencil.  The foundations were constructed more than 80 metres below the ground.  The structure is reinforced with 15 columns which allows the building to withstand winds of about 135 km/h at it’s summit.

The skyscraper is also adorned with at least 16, 500 windows. They are all equipped with automatic blinds so that it will reduce any heat loss.  The building is also equipped with another ecological aspect:  a system to reuse and purify water.

The inauguration of the Lakhta Centre is set to take place in 2019 before it will be used at the headquarters for Gazprom, the famous Russian energy giant that provides many European countries.

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