Okhta Center Tower will consume much energy, will not it?

Natalia, 19.10.2010

It is not the case. The energy efficiency of the Okhta Center building is one of the priority objectives set to designers who proposed several unique solutions. Firstly, it is an intellectual façade of the tower, including double skin where green areas will be located between the glazed skins. They will be ventilated in summer in case of overheat and locked in winter. Thus, up to 40% of power can be saved.
Another idea for the cooling system is to use cold water of the river Neva including the installation of submersible heat exchangers alongside Sverdlovskaya embankment, it will provide an additional tangible saving of power resources.

The project of a sport complex Okhta Center has finally been approved or is it subject to variations depending on the needs of the city? For example, there are many youngsters who go in for basketball and street ball. Can a sport complex or adjoining territories accommodate street ball grounds?

Inna Viktorovna, 18.10.2010

In the selection of the concept of the sport complex above all the needs of the citizens of the adjoining districts in the sport infrastructure of the wide range were taken into account. The concept was selected that implies a maximum number of items for professional training of various sports and health activities.
It is proposed that apart from a full-size field, a skating rink and a swimming pool a covered universal playing field will be included which can be used for street ball playing as well.
Keeping in mind that the sport complex is created primarily for the citizens in the course of the implementation the project can be revised in respect of the construction of a street ball ground.

Keeping in mind the height and area the tower with a metal framework weighs much, doesn’t it?

Anna, 01.10.2010

Obviously the designers have tackled this issue. Ultra strength steel grade designed by ArcelorMittal will be used in the construction of a public and business center Okhta. The advantages of this new steel grade are that it reduces the weight of the structures by a quarter and can be operated at ultra low temperatures.
Specially for Okhta Center the world steel making giant ArcelorMittal designed a new steel grade HISTAR-460RUSSIA.
The construction of Okhta Center will require a large quantity of metal structures and we had an objective to reduce its weight as much as possible, General Director of ArcelorMittal Distribution Solutions Vostok, Anton Tchudayev said.
By using a more strength steel grade the building will weigh 30k tons instead of 40k tons, which is a substantial saving of material and financial costs, a reduction of load on the foundations and a reduction of the construction term.

When the construction starts, a terrific noise will be all around. What will be your attitude towards the discontent of the citizens living in the adjoining buildings?

Anastasiya, 27.09.2010

All the necessary measures will be taken to reduce the noise level in the course of enabling works and during the construction.
Normally the noisiest works in the construction are the works related to the construction of foundations. However modern technologies of the construction of deep foundations provide for a more frequent use of bored structures rather than precast ones, barrettes in our project. Barrettes are rectangular structures dimensioned 2,8m x 1,5m, driven at the depth of 80m. Barrettes be poured in the trenches excavated previously therefore there is no vibration and noise arisen in the construction of precast piles.
Barrettes, 238 in our project will bear the load from the building 330k tons. These technologies have long and successfully been used in the modern high-rise construction.

How much water and heat will be required for the complex?

Zakhar, 08.09.2010

Based on the total estimates on an indicative basis the complex will consume 864,677 cubic meters of water per day. As compared to the rate of water consumption per person per day 220 liters (or 0,22 cubic meters).
Water will be supplied from the existing city’s water supply main. According to technical conditions the water will be supplied to the complex from two independent ring water supply mains to provide an uninterrupted supply of water to the complex. Both sources are interchangeable and operate simultaneously.
The heat supply of the complex will be 46,87 Gcal per hour.
In order to provide reliable heat supply the heat will be supplied to the complex from two independent sources. The main heat supply source will be a heat and power station being designed at present. Emergency heat will be supplied from the existing heating mains of GUP TEK.

What exactly will be within the fenced site where the preparation to the construction is being conducted?

Zhanna, 07.09.2010

This site restricted by Krasnogvardeyskaya square, Bolsheokhtinsky street and Malookhtinskaya embankment is Zone 1 of the construction of the public and business area. The Zone 1 buildings consist of six base buildings united with a concourse, common underground part and one overground part.
The tower of the total area 116 051 sq.m. hosts offices, catering facilities, conference halls and archive storage facilities. The main draw is an observation deck and an observation restaurant at upper floors. The building on the right comprising two blocks of the area 19 220 sq.m. will host sports facilities and a swimming pool, a transformable audience hall, catering facilities, SPA parlors, offices and a medical center.
The next building comprising of two blocks of the total area 22 853 sq.m. will host offices, a library, archives and retail trade outlets.
The last building of the area 37 054 sq.m. will host offices, catering companies as well as observation lifts.
A concourse has 4 floors of the area 17 044 sq.m. and is a multi-layer naturally ventilated space between a high-rise and base buildings with open staircases and escalators. The concourse comprises the main square of the complex as well as a museum and a restaurant.
The car park is 3 underground and 1 overground floor of the total area 116 914 sq.m. for 1 993 car slots. Apart from the car park this building will also host storage, technical and operational facilities.

Could you provide more detailed information regarding the dimensions of the tower? I am interested in the length of the side of a pentagon, the diameter of a circle where this pentagon is embedded, the level of the tower and the height of floors. Thank you for responding.

Vladimir Kukovenko, 28.08.2010

The high rise building of the public and business area Okhta center is designed in the form of a historic fortress Nienschanz located there several centuries ago.
The length of the side of the tower foundation pentagon is 57,497m; the diameter of the circle where the pentagon is embedded is 48,91m; the high rise building will stand at the level -9,1m BD; the height of each floor is 4,2m.

What will be the prices for property next to Okhta Center like?

Sergey, 25.08.2010

The question is answered by General Director of Petersburg Office of International Consulting Company Knight Frank, Oleg Barkov:
“I am convinced that the prices for property will be increasing however it will not be right at once rather at a certain delay. At first any construction work bring about certain inconveniences. The same is here, I mean the construction of Okhta Center since it will be a large scale construction. Nevertheless after the awareness has shaped regarding the creation of a large modern business district, the prices for property will increase. A lot of people who live both in Petersburg and Moscow and who need property of their own in both cities will work there. A lot of foreign specialists will work there too. In my opinion, all these factors will give an impetus to create residential districts in the area adjacent to Okhta Center.

Is it worth selling commercial property located on Sredneokhtinsky street now or is it better to wait for the completion of the construction of Okhta Center to sell it at a higher price?

Sergey, 16.08.2010

According to General Director of Petersburg Office of International Consultancy Company Knight Frank Oleg Barkov,

Commercial property shall be divided into “format” (for example, business center included in the qualification) and street retail.

As for street retail, the price of items located on Sredneokhtinsky street will not increase drastically. Firstly, the reason for it is that such facilities mainly host trade. Trade property can experience the increase of flow and demand only after the completion of construction of Okhta Center. So speaking about a decision to sell or not to sell commercial property located on Sredneokhtinsky street, it is an individual issue and each person is to take a decision on his own. In order to sell some property it is not necessary to wait for the completion of the construction, and maybe it is reasonable to wait for the middle of the construction, when the growth will be significant. It seems that at the moment some people try to buy commercial property planning to resell it in 3-5 years. Nevertheless, the owners of the shops located on Sredneokhtinsky street should think very carefully and take a decision regarding the sale of their property. A long term forecast, in my opinion, is unambiguous: the price of the property located in this area will increase as Okhta Center is constructed and transport problems are resolved which are going to be resolved in the course of the construction of Okhta Center.

It is known that the tower will be double skin. How will be the space between two façade skins be used? Will it be populated? Will there be any recreation zones with comfortable conditions, a required microclimate and any vegetation? Will it be maintained all the year round?

Alexander, 27.07.2010

One of the unique design solutions of Okhta Center is a smart façade of the tower: a double skin structure with buffer zones between two façade skins, something similar to a garden loggia ventilated in summer in case of overheating and closed in winter to maintain heat in the building. Buffer zones are not designated for population. The objective of buffer zones is to reduce heat losses through external façade structures as well as to reduce the penetration of heat from solar radiation outside. According to designers, the use of buffer zones will reduce by half the load on the chiller system.
According to the architectural concept, both inner and outer façade skins of the tower are fully glazed. In order to reduce the consequences of wind impact and gravitational pressure falls a particular type of glazing is used. It is planned to use double-glazing window panes with enhanced heat and thermal parameters filled with inertia argon gas. Therefore, all the year round in the rooms designated for population there will be a comfortable temperature with minimum power consumption.

Is it planned to construct a metro station due to the increase of the number of vehicles. If yes, at what location and when is it planned?

Yelena, 24.07.2010

At present SBC Okhta CJSC jointly with the Transport Committee of the Administration of Saint Petersburg is developing a strategy of transport accessibility of a public and business area Okhta Center.

The options of the actions aimed at developing public passenger transport shall be elaborated in two stages: stage 1 implies the development and arrangement of routes of non-rail passenger transport; stage 2 implies developing actions aimed at the design of a metro station.

In accordance with the Master Plan of Saint Petersburg the development of the metro in the area of Okhta Center is planned after 2015. It is proposed to construct a section of the line connecting Vyborskaya and Ladozhskaya metro stations. A new line will reduce the load on Kirovsko-Viborzhskaya line. The proposed metro line will connect Okhta Center with all the city’s districts.
A conditional name of the station which will be located next to a public and business area is Okhtinskaya.

Does General Contractor remain the same?

Svetlana, 13.07.2010

Arabtec Construction selected in the contest for the design and construction of Okhta Center zone 1 in 2007 remains the General Contractor. It has a wide experience in the construction of high-rises. The last project implemented by the company is the construction of the highest building in the world, Khalifa Tower in Dubai. Most specialists having been involved in the implementation of this project will take part in the implementation of Okhta Center.

Could you specify the number and size of piles used in the foundations of the buildings?

Sergey, 12.07.2010

Pile foundations for different buildings of Okhta Center Complex is different.
The foundations under the high-rise building is made of deep barrettes. Barrettes have the same depth, about 80m from the ground level, 1,5m wide. The length of barrettes is different from 3m up to 78m. Totally 121 barrettes with the total length of 714m.
The foundation of the rest buildings is made of bored piles, 1200mm diameter and 50m length in the number of 677 No.
927 piles 4m long will be under the underground car park.
Up to date the barrettes and piles have been tested by applying artificial loads. The tests were a success.

What is the purpose of the façade structure tests and what are they like?

Maria, 06.07.2010

In the design much attention is paid not only to an exterior of the façade but as well the resistance to local atmospheric and other outer impact, safety in emergency cases.
In order to solve these issues practically rather than theoretically, a large-scale special test program was elaborated. It includes full size firefighting tests of a façade model, including tests in specialized chambers. It should be noted that the costs of a façade in modern construction account for a substantial part of the total cost.
Quality and exterior of the facades is no less important issue than for example foundations. In the Okhta Center design the total area of the facades and glazing is over 130k sq.m.

The Tower is much spoken about but the complex consists of various buildings. What are they like?

Eugeniy, 05.07.2010

The designed compex is a group consisting of four base buildings united with a concourse and glazed atriums. The central part is an 80-floor tower.
The base buildings are located semi-circle between the Tower and the river Okhta. Apart from offices the buildings will host trade centers, cafes, restaurants, library and other public facilities. A public square will adjoin to the tower from the side of the river Neva.

Is a new heating and power station planned to be built?

Ulya, 28.06.2010

Due to the Okhta Center implementation a new heating and power station will be built in Krasnogvardeysky district. Its capacity will safeguard not only Okhta Center with heating but also to solve the problems of the whole Kransnogvardeysky district by replacing scattered small boiler houses. The heating capacity of a new heating and power station will be 230 Gcal / hour.

What about public opinion on the project? What is the ratio?

Pavel, 19.06.2010

In May 2010 an independent research company Romir conducted an opinion poll for Petersburg dwellers in order to define their attitude towards the construction of a business area Okhta Center.
The results of the opinion poll showed that at least 50% of city dwellers support the construction of a business area Okhta Center.

The majority of the respondents assume that Saint Petersburg is to develop not only as a museum and tourist center but as a modern city as well, 66% is confident that classics and architectural innovations can be combined in the city. 37% positively regard the emergence of high-rise buildings in the city. Many respondents could not answer about their attitude towards skyscrapers – 23% of the respondents. It is undoubtedly demonstrates that citizens’ opinion is shaped under the influence of the pool of parameters of a project. People of different sex, age as well as the district of residency participated in the opinion poll.

It should be noted that upon the results of the research conducted in February this year by the Agency for Social Information, 43,3% supported the project, 35,4% objected to it. Therefore one may state a trend that the number of supporters is going up.

Do you have any concerns regarding the construction of a high-rise building on marshy soil? What the foundations will be like?

Lena, 08.06.2010

The foundation design solutions take into account not only the vicinity of the Neva river and Bolshaya Okhta river from the future building, but the particularities of the soil as well.
The results of the investigations demonstrate that the high rise construction with a developed substructure is feasible at the site.

The foundations will rest on Vendian clays at the depth of over 60m. The tests showed that in separate cases our design solutions two fold exceed the necessary requirements related to the end bearing capacity of foundations.

The structure of the foundations will comprise three parts: a diaphragm wall, which will restrict the site, deep piles as the main mass of the end bearing capacity and barettes which the tower will rest on. According to the design the foundations of the building will consist of 161 deep piles and 121 barrettes (the total length over 700m).

What is the area of the plot of land occupied by archeologists and when will the excavations be over?

Roman, 07.06.2010

Archeological investigations are held on 90% of the territory of the construction site, there are no similar examples either in Russia or abroad. Over 25k sq.m. have been studied already, now 15k sq.m. are being studied. The completion of works is planned for this year.