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42-610: The core design team of the Okhta Centre includes Chief Design Architect Charles Phu , Russian architect Philipp Nikandrov, Roger Whiteman and Tony Kettle. In 2008, Arabtec, the construction company involved in construction of the world’s tallest building in Dubai, has won a contract to build this 60 billion-ruble ($ 2.56 billion) complex. Gazprom's CEO Alexei Miller claimed that he is "positive that St. Petersburg’s citizens will be proud of these new architectural masterpieces." However,

84-501: A star fort featuring five wooden and earthen bastions, two additional ravelins , crownworks along the bastions not pointing towards the rivers, and a smaller accompanying half-fort built on the opposite bank of the Neva. Upon the completion of the project, Nyenskans was thought by Sweden to be the most modern fortress in the world at the time. By the turn of the 18th century, numerous Swedish and Finnish suburban manors were built outside

126-468: A 300-meter skyscraper on the site of the Nyenschantz fortress. Out of 735 respondents only 68 replied affirmatively. The proposed twisting tower is inspired by a Swedish fortress named Landskrona, occupied the site in the early 14th century, and another fortress Nyenschantz on the site until the 18th century in the form of a five-sided star to maximise views for defensive purposes. The inspiration for

168-472: A monument designed by V. A. Reppo was opened on the site of the fortress. In May 2003, on the 300th anniversary of Saint Petersburg, the museum "700 years: Landskrona, the Neva Mouth, Nyenschantz" was opened at the site of the fortress. In early 2007, the remains of Nyenskans' bastions were identified during archaeological excavations , which were necessitated by the threat of irrecoverable exploitation of

210-515: A new port city to replace Arkhangelsk , which he similarly considered to be inconveniently located. Technically, the land still officially belonged to Sweden and was occupied during fighting in the Great Northern War, but despite this, construction of the city began anyway. The exact fate of Nyenskans is unknown, with sources ranging from its almost complete demolition as early as 1704 to its repurposing and remaining intact as late as

252-526: A number of studies on architecture and cultures including Uyghurs , Mongolians , Uzbeks along the ancient Silk Road . Phu designed a number of landmark buildings, tall buildings, cultural buildings and master plan designs. Amongst his design works are: In 2010 it was reported by Russian and UK press that Charles Phu said at a public debate in London that the architect has been getting regular memoranda from Vladimir Putin , encouraging them to go ahead with

294-684: A package of military agreements that were supposed to be mutually beneficial. It was signed by King Charles IX of Sweden and Vasili IV (also known as Vasily Shuisky) of Russia in the Swedish city of Vyborg , located on the Karelian Isthmus close to Russian territory. The treaty came at an unstable period in Russian history known as the Time of Troubles , where the death of Tsar Feodor I in 1598 led to decades of civil war . In 1605, following

336-478: A public outcry from a number of civil groups and the Democratic party Yabloko . The latter demanded a citywide referendum to uphold the height regulation of 48-meters. In March 2007 Gazprom City was renamed Okhta Center. Simultaneously, as a result of the pressure from opposition groups, financial scheme was changed: now Gazprom was supposed to provide 51% of the cost of the construction, city would have covered

378-458: A reference to the Landskrona fortification and Nyenschantz fortresses that were located at the same site in the 14th and 17th centuries respectively. Remnants of the fortresses were uncovered during archaeological excavations that begun as a result of the contention around the project Originally, the 60 billion rubles construction was supposed to be 100% funded from the city budget. The city

420-569: A security threat. The terms of the Vyborg Treaty stipulated that Sweden would supply a corps of mercenaries to Shuisky to fight False Dmitry II and the Poles in exchange for Swedish control of the nearby strategic Korela Fortress , as well as its town Kexholm and the respective county. Shuisky agreed to the terms but was an unpopular ruler with little power. Shortly after signing the Vyborg Treaty, Russia's fortunes began to rise, and Shuisky

462-512: A tax break for Gazprom, that over ten years would have come up to the cost of the construction. Thus, even in the third version of the financial scheme, construction of Okhta Center would have been paid for by the taxpayers. Charles Phu Charles Phu ( Traditional Chinese : 符傳禎; Russian: Чарльз Фу ), is a London -based architectural designer and opera set designer. Countries and regions in which his design works are located include Europe, Russia, USA, China, India, Taiwan, and

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504-417: A theater building were to be constructed in this area. Zone 3: Zone for prospective development, most likely to include sports and recreations center containing a swimming pool, skate ring, and fitness and spa centers, apartment hotel, and parking. Architects planned to create green zones and linear parks along the embankment of the river Neva. The 396 meter high-rise was to be pentagon-shaped in its base -

546-677: The Great Northern War , and the new Russian capital of Saint Petersburg was established here by Peter the Great the following year. During excavations in 1992–2000, the remnants of three different medieval fortresses were found at the site of the Nyenschantz fortress. The only one known historically is the Swedish fortress Landskrona, built in 1300 by Tyrgils Knutsson , the Lord High Constable of Sweden. Landskrona

588-611: The Swedish terms Nyen -, the name for the Neva, and - skans meaning " bastion ", and was capable of housing 500 people. The Ingrian War ended in Swedish victory in 1617 after the signing of the Treaty of Stolbovo , resulting in Russia ceding the territories to Sweden. In 1632, the settlement of Nyen was developed across the Okhta from Nyenskans, which was granted town privileges and became

630-529: The 1760s. Other documents and maps suggest Nyenskans was gradually demolished over the following decades as Saint Petersburg expanded onto the land in the direct vicinity of the fort. By 1849, the central strengthening of Nyenskans was still known to exist, although the exact date of its demolition is also unknown. Today, nothing above the ground remains of Nyenskans, and the site is now in Saint Petersburg's Krasnogvardeysky District . On June 15, 2000,

672-584: The Director of the Hermitage Museum, Mikhail Piotrovsky, has spoken out against the plan. Russia's culture ministry has also been reported to object to the tower's plan. As the historical centre of Saint Petersburg is a World Heritage Site in 1991; in December 2006 UNESCO World Heritage centre Director Francesco Bandarin reminded Russia about its obligations to preserve it and expressed concern over

714-702: The Middle East. Phu is the founder and design director of the London-based design practice Office for Architectural Culture. He designed the CCK Presidential Memorial Library and Museum in Taipei, and the chief architectural designer of 'Okhta Centre', now known as Lakhta Centre, in Saint Petersburg. Charles Phu was selected one of the 18 prominent international architectural designers by European journalists in 2011. Phu has made

756-540: The Nyen fortification ring. Most were along the Neva, some of which were located at a considerable distance from the city. In 1700, the danger of Russian invasion increased following the beginning of the Great Northern War , which resumed formal hostilities between Sweden and Russia. Reportedly, in October 1702, Sweden feared an imminent Russian invasion of Nyen, evacuating the city's population and burning it down to prevent

798-680: The Russians from taking it. On May 1, 1703, Sweden lost Nyenskans to the Russians when the fortress was taken by Peter the Great during the Ingrian campaign of the Great Northern War. The site of Nyenskans and Nyen was reformed by Peter into the new city of Schlötburg, meaning " Neck-town " in German , a reference to the long, narrow section of the Neva where it was located, with " Schlöt " corresponding to "(funnel) neck, narrows, chimney". Schlötburg stood in contrast to Shlisselburg (" Key -town "),

840-544: The Swedish influence as they sought to regain control over occupied territories, including the province of Ingria , which Sweden insisted on keeping based on Russia violating conditions in the Vyborg Treaty. Sweden constructed a fortress in Ingria at a strategic position at the confluence of the prominent Neva River and one of its tributaries , the Okhta River . The new fort was officially named Nyenskans, derived from

882-457: The Younger, banned Orthodox Christian Swedish subjects from settling in or near the town following tensions with Lutherans . The ban on Orthodox residents effectively cleansed Nyen of ethnic Russian , Izhorian , and Karelian inhabitants. In 1656, Nyenskans was attacked by Russia during an invasion led by Pyotr Potemkin . The attack was repelled, but it badly damaged Nyen, and Sweden moved

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924-408: The administrative centre of Swedish Ingria in 1642. By the mid-17th century, Nyen had prospered as a trading hub with around 2,000 people, making it much more prominent and wealthier than Swedish Ingria's new capital, Nöteborg . According to church records, the town's population was primarily made up of Finns , secondarily Swedes , and some Germans . Around this time, Nyen's governor, John Geselia

966-436: The administrative centre of Swedish Ingria from Nöteborg to Narva . In 1677, the defences of Nyenskans and Nyen were enforced by a ring of new fortifications consisting of lunettes with batteries and moats . By the end of the 17th century, Nyenskans entered its final form after it had been modernized by an extensive project led by engineer Heinrich von Soylenberg. The fort was expanded to house 600 people, converted into

1008-415: The company's web-site (it was closed after the project was renamed Okhta Center ) and through the ballots distributed at the exhibit. Notably, the ballots did not provide a "none of the above" option, which automatically made all those who had cast their votes into supporters of the construction. Newsportal Vedomosti organized their own survey, asking whether respondents considered it an option to construct

1050-412: The construction in the city budget in the absence of feasibility studies and land agreement. Yabloko initiated a court case questioning the legality of the financing scheme. Saint Petersburg City Court denied the case December 28, 2008 Alexey Miller announced that Gazprom will cover the full cost of the construction. However, even though officially the city did not fund the construction, it established

1092-638: The death of de facto ruler Boris Godunov , Vasily Shuisky came to power, triggering a conflict with a pretender to the Russian throne, False Dmitry II . Additionally, Russia began fighting the Polish–Russian War following the invasion of the country by the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth the same year. Sweden itself was fighting against the Poles in the Polish–Swedish War and viewed their eastward expansion into Russian lands as

1134-407: The design also comes from energy in water, with the building form deriving its shape from the changing nature of water and ever changing light. It gives a new interpretation to the historical fortresses with modern aesthetics and technology - transparency and democracy, internal and external interactions. It also features a unique environmental strategy, which acts as a low energy double-layered skin of

1176-511: The entire site to development from the territory of demolished shipyard Petrozavod to the grounds for planned skyscraper headquarters of the Moscow-based national natural gas monopoly Gazprom , Okhta Center , that would dwarf the beautiful cityscape. This caused protests from the city conservation activists, but they defended the location only after archeologists found remains of the star fort and preceding structures. Gazprom eventually moved

1218-486: The height of construction in Saint Petersburg is "the most sensitive issue to keeping the existing cultural value of the old city centre". The competition was also boycotted by the Russian Union of Architects. British architecture company RMJM London Limited won the competition. The decision was announced on December 1, 2006. In addition to the opinion of the jury, Gazprom invited the public to cast their votes on

1260-511: The new name for Nöteborg at the other end of the Neva River, which Peter believed was the "Key to Ingria". The last Swedish commandant of Nyenskans was Colonel Johan Apolloff, who was preceded by Colonel Alexander Pereswetoff-Morath , a descendant of Russian noblemen, boyars , who had entered Swedish service in the first decades of the 17th century. Nyenskans, under the name Schlötburg, functioned in Russian service only for some weeks before it

1302-549: The premiere production as "elegant". In 2013 Phu created the set and lighting designs for the opera 'Cosi fan tutte' in Dubrovnik, Croatia, the first opera production in Dubrovnik in 48 years. Nyenschantz Nyenschantz ( Swedish : Nyenskans ; Russian : Ниеншанц , romanized :  Niyenshants ; Finnish : Nevanlinna ) was a Swedish fortress at the confluence of the Neva River and Okhta River ,

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1344-529: The project of Okhta Centre and promising support from the government. This resulted in widespread press coverage and heated public discussions but was proved to be untrue according to Putin, Phu himself and the participants. After designing opera productions in Asia and North America, Phu made his UK debut as an opera designer with Sonya's Story , which premiered in London on 7 August 2010. The critic from The Independent described Phu's sets and lighting for

1386-546: The project of Okhta Centre and promising support from the government. This was proved to be untrue according to Putin, Phu himself and the debate participants. This controversial report, followed by heated public discussions, has resulted in certain impact on the politics in Russia. Lakhta Centre , developed on a site farther from Saint Petersburg's historic center, is based on the Okhta Center plans including its main tower, but on an even larger scale. Gazprom City project

1428-597: The project. In 2007, the World Monuments Fund placed the historic skyline of St. Petersburg on its 2008 Watch List of 100 Most Endangered Sites due to the potential construction of the building, and in 2009 reported that the tower "would damage the image of Russia." In 2010 it was reported by Russian and UK press that the project's designer Charles Phu said at a public debate in London that the architect has been getting regular memoranda from Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, encouraging them to go ahead with

1470-411: The remaining 49% and received capital stocks in exchange. However, according to the federal law about joint stock companies, shareholders do not become owners of the property. Thus, Gazprom would have still been a full owner of the Okhta Center real estate. As a result of contention around the construction, it became apparent that Valentina Matviyenko , the governor of Saint Petersburg, included funding of

1512-519: The site of present-day Saint Petersburg , Russia . Nyenschantz was built in 1611 to establish Swedish rule in Ingria , which had been annexed from the Tsardom of Russia during the Time of Troubles . The town of Nyen, which formed around Nyenschantz, became a wealthy trading center and a capital of Swedish Ingria during the 17th century. In 1702, Nyenschantz and Nyen were conquered by Russia during

1554-665: The tower allowing maximum daylight and minimum heat loss in the extreme climate of the city. The area of the complex was to be divided according to the following ratio: 35% - public use, 49% - business offices, 16% - offices of Gazprom and its subsidiaries. The complex was to consist of three main zones: Zone 1: Multifunctional high-rise complex. 396 meters high, 67 floors. The complex would have contained office spaces and parking, 67th floor would have been turned into an observation deck. Sport complex and conference hall were to be constructed next to it. Zone 2: Multifunctional cultural center. Museum of modern art, Museum of architecture, and

1596-484: Was an enormous and unusually well-fortified wooden fortress with eight towers. In the spring of 1301, the Russians amassed a large army and laid siege to the fortress. The Swedes retreated to the basement when a fire broke out inside the fortress. The last of the Swedish defenders were captured, and the Russians burned down the fortress. In 1609, the Vyborg Treaty was signed by Sweden and Tsardom of Russia as

1638-484: Was first introduced in November 2006. Russian Academy of Arts hosted an exhibit of the six competitive designs. Representatives from Gazprom Representatives from the Saint Petersburg administration Architects All the presented projects conceptualized the building as a new architectural dominant with proposed height ranging from 300 to 400 meters. Three out of four architects walked off the jury. Kurokawa stated that

1680-526: Was forced out of power in 1610. A coalition between Swedish general Jacob de la Gardie and Russian princes launched the De la Gardie Campaign , effectively defeating False Dmitry II. The Ingrian War was triggered in 1610 as the new stability of Russia led to increased resistance to Polish occupation and Swedish influence in the country. As the Polish occupation of Moscow had ended, Russia began to actively resist

1722-521: Was retired as an active military garrison . In 1703, Peter decided to found Saint Petersburg , a brand new capital city for the Tsardom of Russia, from scratch in the Neva River delta on the land around Nyenskans. Peter had disliked Moscow, Russia's largest city and historical capital, which he considered inconveniently located and too isolated from the rest of Europe . He also had an interest in seafaring and maritime affairs, believing Russia needed

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1764-412: Was supposed to disburse annual payments of 6 billion rubles starting in 2006 through 2016. In return, Gazprom was to pay 7 billions in taxes annually. The building was supposed to become the property of Gazprom Neft . The city was also supposed to fund construction of housing for Gazprom executives. This scheme, in which city was supposed to return a ten-year worth of taxes to a commercial company, provoked

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