The Gazprom Tower Could Cost St. Petersburg Its Heritage Title

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed)
Sep 6th 2007 at 2:02PM

Check out the building on the right. Not the worst example of architecture I've seen but not the most fabulous either, especially when you consider that it is to be plopped down into the city of St. Petersburg, Russia, a city which has an almost fairy-tale-like beauty. The Russian gas company Gazprom wants to erect the tower next to the 18th century Smolny cathedral and use it as their headquarters. An article in The Guardian reports the city's unique low-rise skyline is in peril and that the city may lose its designation as a world heritage site. Unesco has said that Russia has until next February to submit a report on the projects impact and Marcio Barbosa, deputy director general of Unesco, is quoted as saying that if the situation does not change the site might be put on a list of sites that are in danger. The tower's architect, Philip Nikandrov, says the building anchors the city's panorama and will be a beautiful addition to the city. Building has not started on the tower yet.

It reminds me of a few other towers we've seen such as Gherkin and the Fordham Spire. I wonder if these similar skyscrapers lead to a certain homogenization of cities, where the skyline, once a distinctive fingerprint of place, becomes practically interchangeable all around the world.

Tags: architecture, gazprom, russia, saint petersburg, skyscraper, tower, unesco