The construction of Gazprom´s 403 metre Okhta tower in St. Petersburg has been dividing the city since 2006. Even Russia's ruling partnership is participating in the debate though each party seems to be starting from a rather different viewpoint. Earlier this year President Dmitry Medvedev came out publically calling for a halt to the construction since it could harm the city centre's position on the UNESCO World Heritage list. On the other hand Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has consistently supported the tower, saying it will help to revive the city's economy.
Artist rendering of Gazprom's tower
The tower's chief architect Philip Nikandrov's economic argument is that moving the head offices of Gazprom-Neft will bring the equivalent of $631 million annually in taxes to the city. In addition 60 billion roubles ($1.9 billion) will be invested in the building's construction. The architect also notes that: "There are 28 industrial structures in the city that are up to 310 metres in height and they do not have any historical value – so the city needs a dominant feature higher than them." (Moscow News 07/06/10) St. Peterburg's Governor Valentina Matviyenko also supports the tower.
Critics argue that the tower will have a ruinous impact on the view of the Tsarist-era monumental buildings and on the city's townscape more generally. Both the St. Petersburg Union of Architects and the International Union of Architects have also protested against the structure. The maximum permitted height of buildings at the
proposed site is 48 metres or less than 1/8 of the planned building. The tower will therefore completely dwarf the historic Smolny Monastery on the opposite embankment, critics argue.
An interesting side issue here is that of tourism. Here the opposition argues that the tower might reduce the number of visitors to the historical city. Supporters on the other hand note that the tower will provide the possibility to really enjoy the beauty of the city – from a viewing platform high up in Gazprom's new "flame". The design of the building itself is in fact based on the image of the gas flame.
By Odd Iglebaek