Experts’ Opinion: The Okhta Centre High-Rise Will Not Impair Sights of St.Petersburg20.04.2007”The construction of a 390 meter-high skyscraper within the Okhta Centre complex in St.Petersburg will not basically change the city’s skyline”, stated Filipp Nikandrov, representative of the British architectural company RMGM in Russia, referring to findings of the conducted project appraisal.
The high-rise impact on the visual perception of the St.Petersburg’s historical part has been studied jointly by the Committee on State Control, Use and Protection of Historical and Cultural Landmarks and RMGM.
According to F. Nikandrov landscape studies were conducted in relation to all existing plain views of St.Petersburg and to all significant architectural ensembles.
According to findings of the Committee on State Control, Use and Protection of Historical and Cultural Landmarks an impact of the high-rise building on 25 different points in the city was assessed. Based on the landscape and visual appraisal it was found that the Okhta Centre high-rise may become the city’s new vertical landmark.
”The studies conducted have proved that the city’s new landmark will not basically change panoramic and perspective views of the embankments, squares and streets in the city center from which the building is from 2 to 7 kilometers away. Besides, the new building cannot be seen from the open grounds between St. Isaac’s Cathedral and the Alexander Garden, as well as by the Kazan Cathedral and from the Dekabristov Square”, the study findings say.
As F.Nikandrov points out the 396 meter-high building is not practically visible from the Palace Square and the Field of Mars, it does not impair the outline of the Neva River embankment when viewed from the Spit of Vasilyevskiy Island either. The only street where a perspective view of the new building is opened is the Kirochnaya Street, he added.
In his turn, Managing Director of RMGM Tony Kettle said that other building in the Okhta Centre will be built in line with the height limit regulations currently in force and will not exceed the height of 48 meters. Speaking about the skyscraper he pointed out that its height parameters will be subject to all required approvals on the part of the city authorities and of the general public.
In the opinion of Tony Kettle historically the St.Petersburg’s feature was a fairly even level development which served as a background for distinct vertical accents. And he believes that the skyscraper in the framework of the Okhta Centre must become such an accentuated highlight.
