St. Petersburg of the Future

St. Petersburg Reaches for the Sky

There is a debate underway in St. Petersburg about a proposal by Gazprom, the state oil company, to build a high-rise office building as the centerpiece for its headquarters in St. Petersburg. Even though this is outside of the historic center of the city (right across the river from where I went to school), it would likely be visible from the center. This comes as a bit of a shock in a city that is so architecturally orchestrated and laws ban buildings of over 157 feet in the center. That said, this is also about more than just buildings and architecture, it is also about the power of the state and state-run companies to get what they want and do what they want. It should also be noted that Petersburg is Putin's hometown and I am still intrigued by the possibility that he could become the head of Gazprom after his second term as President is over in 2008. This project might be a signal toward that end.