St. Petersburg Authorities Inform UNESCO About Lakhta Skyscrapers
A UNESCO advisory mission, together with ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites) experts, has returned to St. Petersburg after 2018.
The visit, which took place on January 26, was reported by the Committee for State Control, Use, and Protection of Historical and Cultural Monuments. Vice Governor Nikolai Linchenko participated in the events.
The committee stated: «The city government openly informs the mission»s experts on issues related to the preservation of the object, including in terms of planning and implementing major urban development projects.« Among these projects:
- multifunctional high-rise complexes in Lakhta,
- ShMSD,
- Bolshoi Smolensky Bridge,
- bell tower of Smolny Cathedral,
- restoration of the Stable Department.
Primary attention was drawn to plans for erecting skyscrapers in the Lakhta district.
The road network planning project for two new high-rise buildings near Lakhta Center has already been developed and has undergone public discussions. The towers are planned to be 555 and 703 meters high. Their construction is to be carried out from 2025 to 2032, with finishing and occupancy scheduled for after 2035. In 2025, the development of planning projects for the territories of the buildings themselves also began.
The agreement for the construction of these skyscrapers was signed by JSC Synergy with the city at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. Visualizations of the objects have already been presented to the president. According to new land use and development rules, this territory is classified as a special category of public-business zone for unique high-rise development objects, where the minimum height of structures is 300 meters.
Survey work at the future construction site is being conducted by JSC Renkons. All necessary permits, including GATI orders for fence installation and felling tickets, have been issued upon its requests.
This company was previously known as Renaissance Construction and was involved in the construction of Lakhta Center itself. The name was changed in 2023, and in 2024, Turkish Ronesans Holding, of which it was part, announced its withdrawal from Russia. In the holding«s statement, it was noted: »The strategic decision to step back from direct management in this market changed Ronesans« growth strategy. The group»s global presence now extends to various regions, including Turkey, the Netherlands, Germany, and CIS countries, with a focus on Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan.«
According to available data, the new owner of St. Petersburg Renkons has become Moscow LLC Balticstroyalliance, created three years ago. The company«s director is Chelik Harun, and equal co-owners are two firms: LLC Quillion and LLC Baltic Construction. Quillion is managed by a closed-end unit investment fund, and Baltic Construction belongs to another related St. Petersburg company — Renkons Industry and Construction, which also previously bore the name Renaissance Construction.
It is Renkons, registered in St. Petersburg, that is working on the territory where the two new skyscrapers will appear.
The company has several branches, including Lakhta I and Lakhta II–III, which emphasizes its involvement in projects in this area. Also, Renkons has a subsidiary Renkons Engineering (formerly Renaissance Construction Project), which is engaged in architectural activities and has a separate subdivision Lakhta 2.
After the change of owner, the average number of Renkons employees decreased from more than 2,000 people in 2023 to 335 in 2024. The company«s revenue fell from 26 billion rubles (approximately $260 million at current rates) to 3 billion rubles (approximately $30 million at current rates).
It should be noted that there are several companies named Renkons. Besides the St. Petersburg one working in Lakhta, there is a larger Moscow Renkons with revenue of 13 billion rubles (approximately $130 million at current rates), which also belongs to Balticstroyalliance, as well as a regional one.
