Protest over St Petersburg tower

[demoleft]

Source: bbc

About 3,000 people have rallied in St Petersburg against plans to build a huge skyscraper in Russia's former imperial capital.

Demonstrators voiced anger at the city council's decision to approve construction of the 400m (1,312 ft) Okhta Centre for the gas giant Gazprom.

They said the tower would spoil the city's historic skyline.

The UN cultural body, Unesco, has said building the tower could endanger the city's status as a world heritage site.


Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8300737.stm

---

gazprom - hm, hard battle. the minister of culture objects and wants to investigate over the approval of the project.
the needle-like glass tower itself is great architecture, as it appears in the pic. but this is quite another thing.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Odu7eqW6gAY/SiO-M3oRA0I/AAAAAAAAIVI/ulN20szhAHM/s400/Okhta+Centre+by+RMJM+01.jpg

[donco6]

1. Hmmm. As long as it's not destroying other structures -

How can you halt progress like that? If they need that kind of space . . . wow. It's a toughie.

[dogtag]

2. It is destroying

other structures just by being there. St. Petersburg is so unique. Let the gas moguls build out in the suburbs somewhere.

[donco6]

3. I suppose. It's just that European cities are so much different from ours.

The city center is THE city center. They don't have multiple centers - the burbs are really just residential areas. All commerce is centered in the city. So it's tough for a city to maintain it's position of power if the city center has to stagnate.

But I know St. Petersburg is beautiful. Like I said, to me, this is a toughie. St Petersburg has to decide if it's a city or a museum.

[Igel]

9. Do the Prague thing.

There's the Stare mesto and there's the nove mesto, the Old Town and the New Town.

Old Town is old, with Charles Bridge , the Orloj, and all sorts of medieval and Renaissance buildings. The New Town, a 10 minute walk away, is mostly from the '70s and has no real architectural jewels to protect.

Now, Prague is a bit smaller, overall, than Peter. Still, the principle would work if you could persuade people that they don't need to be near the Fields of Mars, the Fontanka, and the Hermitage and Admiralty. Like that's going to happen.

[donco6]

13. True. Frankfurt is sort of that way, too.

Not as good a separation, but they've preserved their Alte Stadt pretty well. And Frankfurt has many tall modern buildings.

[Ernest Partridge]

4. Leave it to the Russian Capitalists to ruin their cities.

Why not build in in Moscow?

Because the government and the residents would not allow it.

I hope the good folks in SPB put the kibosh on this scheme. It's a beautiful city, just as it is.

But maybe it won't be build because it can't be built.

Ever notice that there are no tall buildings in Manhattan between Wall St. and the Empire State Building?

It's because lower and mid-town Manhattan are built on bedrock. In between in loose soil.

SPB is built on a swamp. So maybe geology will defeat the Gazprom tower.

Ernest Partridge
www.crisispapers.org
gadfly.igc.org

[knitter4democracy]

12. I was wondering that myself.

St. Pete's a swamp. I don't see how they'll be able to keep that thing from sinking.

[ooglymoogly]

5. The Louvre built a smart glass pyramid in front of

its museum with the same kind of blow back. This building looks pretty fantastic, a piece of art on its own. Boston built something not so fantastic, a glass tower at the side of the old landmark Charles Kirk Kirby library and an older landmark church that did nothing to damage the area but strengthened the scene by reflecting it. Buildings like the Bullet in London do far less harm than one would think and show a remarkable synergy with the old when they are beautiful, like the Bullet, as this one appears to be. I say more power to them, Luddites notwithstanding.

[jdadd]

6. It must be the machinist in me.....

It looks like a giant screw extracter...aka (easy out)

[madrchsod]

8. looks like the same design that was/is going to be built in chicago.

so far there`s a huge hole with a foundation...they ran out of money for the rest.

yup...it looks like a easy-out

[alfredo]

10. The easy out saved a lot of pain and suffering back when I was a

bicycle mechanic.

[tomm2thumbs]

7. I think the picture is beautiful. It would be cheaper just to stare at it and not build it.

I vote for looking at the picture instead.

[Brickbat]

11. Anyone know where they're thinking of putting it?

I used to live there; I'd like to know.

[truthisfreedom]

14. It's an easy-out for left-hand screws. (pic)

These are for right-handed screws.