PETERSBURG MAY EXCLUDE FROM WORLD HERITAGE
Resolution of the City of St. Petersburg to build an office skyscraper companies Gazprom `` and `` Gazprom Neft in the Primorye region has caused outrage not only citizens, but also drew the attention of the world body at the UN for Culture, Education and Science of UNESCO.
`` Lahti center height 472 meters can disrupt historical panorama of the city center, thus breaking the integrity of the single St. Petersburg. Currently, representatives of UNESCO `` expect the authorities to the northern capital of the official document with a conclusion about the potential impact of new buildings on the perception of objects of cultural heritage.
- Before making a decision about the construction, the city of St. Petersburg to provide a UNESCO appropriate paper. The authorities should try to prove to us that the damage caused to cultural sites would not - told Izvestia `` Chairman of UNESCO#39;s World Heritage Committee Eleanor Mitrofanov. - If you come to us too many comments from the public, then formed a special mission of UNESCO, which starts proceedings on the ground.
If there is a violation of the integrity of the historic St. Petersburg, UNESCO can take extreme measures.
- The organization can eliminate the city from the list of World Heritage sites. This is an extreme measure that can accepted organization. This was a time, it was the center of Dresden, the decision was made at last year#39;s session - told Izvestia `` official representative of Russia to UNESCO in France Victoria Kalinina. - The reason was that the Germans had transformed the historic center of the city, let#39;s say, not the best way.
Created a precedent in Germany could be repeated in St. Petersburg, when a special expert commission considers that the appearance of the historic center is extremely modified. However, Kalinin said that it `does not happen suddenly #39;before making such a decision the authorities sent numerous warnings.
Thus, if the Gazprom skyscraper `` break historical panorama of a particular area in the center of St. Petersburg, UNESCO can reduce the area of the city, which will cease to be considered as a World Heritage Site.
- I, as ambassador reminded the authorities of St. Petersburg of them to provide a report on the potential impact of the new buildings on the perception of objects of cultural heritage. As it is not in the area of cultural heritage, not in the buffer zone, no prescriptive UNESCO currently does - explained Mitrofanov. - First, we have to look at a digital representation of the possible impact of a skyscraper and make sure that everything is in order.
Representatives of the future skyscraper stated that they had received permission to build a `` Lahti center after approval of the project in the FAA `Russia` Glavgosexpertiza.
- Received a positive conclusion on July 31 of this year. In addition, adapted to the new location of the project `` Lahti center passed the procedure of obtaining a waiver from the limiting parameters for height, - said the #39;Izvestia#39; Director of Public Relations Company `Social and Business Center Ohta` `Svetlana Afanasyev. - In June of last year were held a public hearing where all interested St. Petersburg to express their comments and suggestions.
As a result of the hearing was issued an order of the Committee for Architecture and Urban Planning, permitting the construction of buildings up to 500 meters on a plot in Lahti. In November 2012, confirmed the validity of this order the City Court of St. Petersburg.
Experts in the field of architecture noted that the project Lahti center is not much different from the previous version of the controversial construction of the office of Gazprom `on` Ohta. Of course, the designers changed the location of construction, but modern skyscraper will still be visible from many points, but fit into the panorama of the historic center of St. Petersburg it will not work.
- This is a repeat of the situation with Ohta center, one to one. But the construction site was moved, and the Primorsky district has not considered the historic center of the city, so there get a building permit easier, despite the fact that Russian law protected not only buildings, but also the view of the city - said the #39;Izvestia#39; professor of Moscow Architectural Institute, architectural historian Yuri Volchok.
