HIGH-RISERS NEAR LADOZHSKY RAILWAY STATION

Authors of the project:

Architects (urban design concept): Nikita Yavein, Vladimir Zenkevich, Natalya Arkhipova, Yury Ashmetiev

Architects (High-riser No. 1): Nikita Yavein, Nicolay Smolin, Yanina Smolina, Darya Nasonova

Structural engineer: Oleg Kurbatov

The extremely important urban development and transportation node around Ladozhskij Railway Station requires a planning and architectural approach suited to its location in the structure of the city in terms of its usage and development potential. At such points of concentration of people and business activity, it is natural for high-rise buildings to appear – not merely a sole sky-scraper, but a unified group or cluster of dominants.

Pinpointing five corners at the intersection of Energetics and Zanevskogo Avenues with towers we create a small «Place de l’Etoile» at the entrance to the central part of city. The towers will be monumental landmarks, points of reference or visual check points, which reinforce the meaning of the city’s panorama. This function is strictly localised, and with the height of the buildings at approximately 150m they will not be seen from the historical center, but they should be seen from the Alexander Nevsky Bridge.

Search for the shape of the buildings led to some ‘crystalloid shapes’, variations on a theme of the organic growth of a prism from the base of a pyramid. This configuration, in strict sense, reflects the ratio of demand and profitability of rental to floor spaces. The widened base of the pyramid gives room for a spacious lobby which acts as a covered continuation of a public square in front of the railway station. Higher storeys accommodate offices, hotels and flats.

The facades will be made of continuous glass without casements which reveal the secret of the sloping walls and allow the interlinking geometrical pattern of the metallic structure to show through.

A rather sophisticated pyramidal structure allows the buildings to respond to all the challenges of the parcel. The layouts are of non-regular shape that emerges from the configuration of the footprint area, the position of frontage lines and the need to accentuate some significant visual axes. Expanding upwards the shape crystallizes into a prism with regular section.

In 2008 the project was among those representing Russia at XI la Biennale di Venezia Architecture Exhibition.

HIGH-RISER NO. 1
GFA  69 047 sq. m, out of there:

underground parking - 18 290 sq. m
retail – 5 039 sq. m
restaurant – 2 381 sq. m
office – 26 177 sq. m
apartment – 9 184 sq. m (46 apartments)