
An artist's impression of the Lakhta Center.

A drone photograph shows the Lakhta Center's now-complete tower.

The project broke ground in 2012, after the developer moved had initially proposed a location in the city's historical center.

Parts of the complex will serve as headquarters for the Russian gas giant, Gazprom, which is carrying out the construction through its subsidiary Lakhta Center JSC.

The site of the Lakhta Center, which sits a few miles from the center of St. Petersburg, was once an industrial sand depot.

The original architectural concept for the tower was proposed in 2011 by Tony Kettle, then at Scottish firm RMJM.

The facade of the building's lower structure measures 260 meters (8523 feet) long.

The building's exterior is made of 16,500 individual glass panes.

The foundations were driven 82 meters (269 feet) into the ground, resulting in a Guinness world record for the "largest continuous concrete pour" in history.

The tower twists 90 degrees from the foundations to the spire.

Gazprom has long eyed St. Petersburg for its new headquarters.

The Lakhta Center takes the title of Europe's tallest building from Moscow's Federation Tower, completed in 2017.

The building will be accessed through a 98-meter-tall (322-foot-tall) arch.


