With a height of 462 m, the Lakhta Center in St Petersburg is Europe’s tallest building. The skyscraper, due to be opened this year, is part of a modern business area approximately 10 km northwest of the city centre on the Gulf of Finland. It will form the heart of a new urban centre and a modern seaport. This will relieve the strain on the historic city centre of St Petersburg and enhance its role as Russia’s western-most maritime metropolis. As well as the many public areas of the Lakhta Center, which include viewing platforms, restaurants, sport, educational and exhibition spaces, 163,000 m2 of the tower’s gross floor area will become the headquarters of Gazprom.