Russian energy giant Gazprom said on August 20 that it has finally been given the go ahead to begin constructing a giant skyscraper in St. Petersburg for its new headquarters. The announcement seems to have finally brought a long-running saga to an end, as the controversial project has been plagued by criticism and objections ever since it was first proposed in 2006.
Gazprom's Skyscraping Giant
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The project's designers have described the proposed new building as "a highly sustainable concept," which includes an "intelligent" double outer skin to minimise heat loss in the freezing Russian winters.
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The new location for Gazprom's headquarters is a 17-hectare brownfield site on the edge of St Petersburg, formerly used for the industrial storage of sand.
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The new building should rise to a height of 426 meters and comprise 330,000 square meters of internal space.
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The giant building is expected to cost $3 billion.
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The project is due to be completed by 2018.