• The new Jian Mu tower which is set to open in China later this year has been described as a "farmscraper". Photo: Carlo Ratti Associati
    The new Jian Mu tower which is set to open in China later this year has been described as a "farmscraper". Photo: Carlo Ratti Associati
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    Hundreds of thousands of people would travel by drone from tower to tower according to proposals for The Link, a self sustainable vertical city project. Courtesy: Luca Curci
  • Luca Curci, the architect behind The Link which is a 750-metre high vertical city forest in the heart of overcrowded cities. Courtesy: Luca Curci
    Luca Curci, the architect behind The Link which is a 750-metre high vertical city forest in the heart of overcrowded cities. Courtesy: Luca Curci
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    Dubai's Burj Khalifa is the world's tallest building at 829.8 metres high. AFP
  • Willis Tower, formerly Sears Tower, was the tallest building in the world until 1998. To this day, it is the tallest property in Chicago. AFP
    Willis Tower, formerly Sears Tower, was the tallest building in the world until 1998. To this day, it is the tallest property in Chicago. AFP
  • A view of the Transamerica Pyramid building on August 19, 2019 in San Francisco, California. It was completed in 1972 and was the tallest building in San Francisco until 2018. AFP
    A view of the Transamerica Pyramid building on August 19, 2019 in San Francisco, California. It was completed in 1972 and was the tallest building in San Francisco until 2018. AFP
  • Kuwait's tallest building is Al Hamra Tower, left. AFP
    Kuwait's tallest building is Al Hamra Tower, left. AFP
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    The $5.7 billion Marina Bay Sands hotel and resort, left, (L) is world-renowned and frequently tops world's most beautiful skyscraper lists. AFP
  • The Evolution Tower is in Moscow, Russia. Formerly known as Wedding Palace and City Palace, its twisted, futuristic form designed by British architect Tony Kettle is what makes it stand out. Getty Images
    The Evolution Tower is in Moscow, Russia. Formerly known as Wedding Palace and City Palace, its twisted, futuristic form designed by British architect Tony Kettle is what makes it stand out. Getty Images
  • While Torre Glories only has 38 stories, it has famously redefined the Barcelona skyline. Alamy Stock Photo
    While Torre Glories only has 38 stories, it has famously redefined the Barcelona skyline. Alamy Stock Photo
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    Formerly known as London Bridge Tower, the Shard is a 72-storey skyscraper that's become one of the most recognisable buildings on the English capital's skyline. AFP
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    Bahrain World Trade Centre was the first skyscraper in the world to integrate wind turbines and has even won awards for sustainability. AFP
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    Kingdom Centre Tower in Riyadh is the world's third-tallest building with a hole in it. Getty Images
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    The Taipei 101, formerly known as the Taipei Financial Centre, is Taiwan's tallest building, and was the world's tallest until 2009. AFP
  • The Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur were for six years the tallest in the world, until 2004. AFP
    The Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur were for six years the tallest in the world, until 2004. AFP
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    Shanghai Tower in Pudong area, Shanghai is the tallest building in China and the world's second tallest building. EPA
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    The Chrysler Building has been a key part of the New York City skyline for more than 90 years. Between 1930 and 1931, it was actually the world's tallest building. AFP
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    The China Central Television Tower is in the central business district in Beijing. It's referred to as an 'anti-skyscraper' because of its unique design. AFP
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    The Bank of China Tower in Hong Kong was designed by Pritzker Prize-winning Chinese-American architect I M Pei and the triangular glass building was for a few years the tallest building in the world outside the US. Getty Images
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    Home to three schools, Tokyo's Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower boasts a unique cocoon-inspired design. Getty Images
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    Hotel & Casino Grand Lisboa in Macau boasts unique lotus flower-shaped architecture. AFP
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    The Turning Torso in Malmo, Sweden is the tallest building in Scandinavia, but it was also the world's first "twisting" tower. AFP
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    30 St Mary Axe is a 41-storey office tower that cost £138m to make. Getty Images
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    The Shanghai World Financial Centre is among the top 15 tallest buildings in the world and among the top 10 in China. AFP
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    Istanbul Sapphire Tower is among the Turkish city's tallest buildings and was formerly its tallest until 2016. Getty Images
  • The Lotte Corp. World Tower is the tallest building in South Korea, and the fifth-tallest in the world. Getty Images
    The Lotte Corp. World Tower is the tallest building in South Korea, and the fifth-tallest in the world. Getty Images
  • The Ryugyong Hotel is the world's tallest unoccupied building. It's based in Pyongyang, North Korea. AFP
    The Ryugyong Hotel is the world's tallest unoccupied building. It's based in Pyongyang, North Korea. AFP
  • The Gran Torre Santiago, formerly known as Torre Gran Costanera, part of the Costanera complex, is the tallest skyscraper in South America. Getty Images
    The Gran Torre Santiago, formerly known as Torre Gran Costanera, part of the Costanera complex, is the tallest skyscraper in South America. Getty Images
  • Dubai's Burj Al Arab is the tallest all-suite hotel in the world, one of the most recognisable buildings in the Middle East and only 60m shorter than the Empire State Building. AFP
    Dubai's Burj Al Arab is the tallest all-suite hotel in the world, one of the most recognisable buildings in the Middle East and only 60m shorter than the Empire State Building. AFP
  • New York's One World Trade Centre is the tallest building America and the Western Hemisphere, and the sixth-tallest in the world. Getty Images
    New York's One World Trade Centre is the tallest building America and the Western Hemisphere, and the sixth-tallest in the world. Getty Images
  • For 40 years, the steel-framed, 103-storey Empire State Building was the tallest in the world, until 1971, and remains to this day one of the best examples of Modernist Art Deco design. AFP
    For 40 years, the steel-framed, 103-storey Empire State Building was the tallest in the world, until 1971, and remains to this day one of the best examples of Modernist Art Deco design. AFP
  • The 75-storey corporate headquarters of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, designed by HOK. Reuters
    The 75-storey corporate headquarters of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, designed by HOK. Reuters
  • Construction outside the ICD Brookfield Place building on Al Mustaqbal Street, Dubai Photo: Reem Mohammed/The National
    Construction outside the ICD Brookfield Place building on Al Mustaqbal Street, Dubai Photo: Reem Mohammed/The National

World's second tallest building in Russia: designs revealed by architects Kettle Collective

The Scottish architecture company, with offices in Dubai and Oman, is behind the 150-storey Lakhta Centre II

Katy Gillett
Katy Gillett

May 28, 2021

  • English
  • Arabic

Dubai's 828 metre Burj Khalifa towers over any other skyscraper in the world, but trailing behind that at 703 metres will soon be Russia's Lakhta Centre II, which has been designed by Scottish architecture company Kettle Collective.

A rendering of Lakhta Centre II, to be the world's second tallest building, based in Russia and designed by Scottish architecture firm Kettle Collective.
A rendering of Lakhta Centre II, to be the world's second tallest building, based in Russia and designed by Scottish architecture firm Kettle Collective.

Once it's complete, the supertall 150-storey skyscraper in St Petersburg will be the second tallest building in the world, soaring above China's 632m Shanghai Tower, and will also have the planet's highest occupied floor and viewing gallery, according to Kettle Collective.

The company unveiled its designs on Tuesday for the tower, which will feature an outer layer of spiralling columns within a metal exoskeleton.

The planned development would be located on the outskirts of the Russian port city, alongside Europe's tallest building, the Lakhta Centre (462m), the headquarters for global energy company Gazprom, which Kettle Collective's co-founder Tony Kettle designed when he worked at architectural firm RMJM.

Kettle, a multi-award-winning architect and design principal, says the new tower will be "more than a city landmark" and will be of "national significance, showcasing Russia on the world's stage as an investor in business, innovation and creative thinking.

“The tower is born out of a daring idea that has been inspired by energy in all of its forms, from helical waves generated around deep space quasars to the spirals of wave energy. The outer layer of the building is created from spiralling columns that form an open organic helical diagrid, while the structure is carved out by a series of spiral atriums shared with green vertical spaces.”

Ultimately, Kettle says, the "vision for the tower form is therefore the physical embodiment of energy. It is an exuberant expression of intersecting helical waves creating a dramatic multi-layered spiral form."

Colin Bone, left, and Tony Kettle, middle, both founded Kettle Collective in 2012.
Colin Bone, left, and Tony Kettle, middle, both founded Kettle Collective in 2012.

The award-winning Kettle Collective was founded in 2012 and has studios in Scotland, Dubai and Oman.

The company has worked on numerous projects in the Middle East, including the Dewa Solar Innovation Centre in Dubai, the Port Sultan Qaboos in Oman and numerous museums in Saudi Arabia.

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