Incredible images show Europe's tallest skyscraper rising in the middle of nowhere – a building most people have never even heard of.
A remarkable megastructure, the Lafta Center towers higher than the roofs of the Empire State Building and One World Trade Center.
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Lakhta Centre stands at an incredible elevation of 1,516 feet Credit: Lakhta
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Located in St. Petersburg, Russia. Credit: Alamy
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Lakhta includes a 2,000-seat amphitheatre, a sports center, shops, restaurants and offices. Photo: Lakhta Center/Slava Korolev
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It is the 16th tallest building in the world. Photo credit: Lakhta Center/Slava Korolev
Standing at 1,516 feet tall, the 87-story Russia Lakhta Center has overtaken Moscow's Federation Tower for the title of tallest building on the continent.
Stunning images show an isolated, needle-shaped skyscraper 12km from St. Petersburg.
Inside, it houses a whopping 2,000-seat amphitheatre, a sports centre, shops, restaurants and offices.
This megastructure stands approximately 500 feet tall and towers over the Shard, dwarfing it.
Not only is this building celebrated as the tallest structure in Europe, but it is also the 16th tallest building in the world.
The skyscraper's façade is made of 16,500 pieces of glass, all fitted with automatic shutters to reduce heat loss.
The building, which will stand up to 1,181 feet tall, will feature residential and commercial space, as well as an observation deck and restaurant on the top floor.
Lakhta is also home to the headquarters of Gazprom, once the world's largest natural gas company.
But despite its incredible height, the top 383 feet of this megastructure cannot actually be used.
This section is called the “vanity height” and serves no purpose other than to make the skyscraper appear even taller.
More than 20,000 workers from 18 countries were involved in the construction of this skyscraper.
From afar, the building has been said to resemble a ship sailing into the Gulf of Finland, although some say it looks like a flame.
While the isolated location of Lafter has puzzled many, there is an important reason why the building was (or was forced to be) built in such a remote location.
St. Petersburg's city center has been a World Heritage Site since the early 1990s, and the city committee opposed the construction of the Okhta Center, a former Gazprom building, on the site.
The plan met with a lot of opposition and Gazprom was ultimately forced to move to Lakhta.
The Lakhta Centre is based on the plans of the Octa Centre, with the infrastructure of the main tower, but it is much larger.
This skyscraper symbolized the beginning of a new modern city away from St. Petersburg's center, but it seems unlikely that any other skyscrapers will be erected nearby anytime soon.
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The top 383 feet of the megastructure cannot actually be used. Photo by Lakhta Center/Slava Korolev
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Most people have never heard of Lakhta. Photo: Lakhta Center/Slava Korolev
There are plans to build two more massive skyscrapers next to Lakhta, which will be an incredible 1,640 feet and nearly 2,330 feet tall.
However, Gazprom has been hit with sanctions over Russia's involvement in the Ukraine war and is reported to face huge losses of up to $7 billion in 2022.
This enormous loss suggests that two more record-breaking structures won't be built anytime soon.
Cities around the world are moving away from the concept of “zoning,” where high rise buildings are all dotted in the same area and maintain the same theme, like offices.
Currently, European hotspots are shifting towards a mix of residential, office and retail buildings due to their convenience for both locals and tourists.
Top 10 tallest buildings in Europe
Lakhta Center, St. Petersburg: 1,516 feet (462 meters)Federation Tower, Moscow: 1,226 feet (373.7 meters)OKO, Moscow: South Tower: 1,162 feet (354.1 meters)Mercury City Tower, Moscow: 1,112 feet (338.8 meters)The Shard, London: 1,017 feet (309.7 meters)Eurasia, Moscow: 1,014 feet (308.9 meters)CoC, Moscow: Moscow Tower: 990 feet (301.6 meters)Skyland Istanbul 1 and 2, Turkey: 932 feet (293.1 meters)Metropol Istanbul, Turkey: 919 feet (280 feet)
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Gazprom's headquarters. Photo credit: Lakhta Center/Slava Korolev
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There are plans to build two more LAFTA centres. Credit: Alamy
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The tops of the megastructures are merely for aesthetic purposes
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