Sergey Nikiforov: "Everything that drives engineering is unique"

The sections of Sergey Nikiforov, Chief Engineer of the Lakhta Center project, are held annually at the 100+ Forum Russia and are always popular. Last year, Sergey joked that he would sell tickets to his presentation. On this cheerful note, we started a conversation before the start of his speech at the 100+ Forum Russia 2017.

- Indeed, it turns out that with the growth of the project, there is more and more interest in it. This means that people are interested in new technologies, new trends, new movements. We are pleased to talk about our project and, moreover, I will say that we already have plans for next year's performance. I think that next year, when all the ideas that we laid out will be implemented in glass, concrete and metal, and the main facilities of the Lakhta Center will be commissioned, we will share the details of the unique facade maintenance system of the tower. We recently tested it: a huge amount of design work was carried out, prototypes, mockups, and detailed tests were made in order to properly check and analyze everything. The tests were successful and now we are starting to assemble this system. It's a unique thing. It not only allows you to clean the facade, but also makes it possible to replace the glass if necessary. The system is a belt that moves along the twisted facade of the tower with a special cradle fixed on the building.

- What is the current stage of the project?

- We have completed the main metal structures of the building, which is located next to the tower. The dominant itself surpassed the 384 meter mark, becoming the tallest building in Europe. We are starting to build the spire - this is the final construction. The period is very difficult because now all the work that needs to be done is going on simultaneously: vertical transport, escalators, electrics, mechanics, facades – absolutely all disciplines that exist in the project are currently in operation. This is a process that involves a huge number of people, complex logistics, and about twelve thousand workers per day working on the site. Such a peculiar human anthill.

- What engineering tasks did you have to solve and how did you cope with unstable St. Petersburg soils?

- This is a traditional question. But I want to point out that it is relevant only if we talk about low-rise buildings. High-rise buildings require a more serious foundation. It doesn't matter to us what's on the surface, because we transfer all the bearing loads to those rocks that were formed many, many millions of years ago and have high strength characteristics. And the most important thing is that we have previously tested them very carefully and thoroughly, and we have full information about them.

- One of the objectives of the Forum is to develop regulations on unique and high–rise construction. Over the years, the Forum has developed and adopted several sets of rules. Do you think this will help those who will undertake such unique projects as yours in the future?

- Interestingly, many changes have indeed taken place since the forum was created. Of course, some are definitely for the better, some are still unclear, but the good news is that the regulatory framework is constantly being improved. Especially those regulations that relate to safety. I think we have already overtaken the whole world in terms of fire safety in terms of reliability. Structurally, we have quite good standards, and we need to add a little more clarity. But there are, of course, standards that are very far behind, and we need to work with them. When coordinating our project, we solved the tasks in parts, making documentation in several stages. Let's say we went through the examination several times, each of them optimizing and improving something, and these optimizations were mainly achieved by creating original solutions that are on the verge of engineering. Many of them were not yet well spelled out in our regulations, so we had to develop and test them, and only after we were sure that everything was working reliably, we began to protect them in the examination.

- What is a unique construction in your understanding and how much is it in demand?

- In my practice, I have participated a lot in the creation of unique objects, they did not necessarily develop in height. For me, unique buildings are unique, first of all, in technology. I believe that everything that challenges the designer in both the use and interpretation of standards is unique. That is, if there is an element of a building that exists on the verge of a standard, no matter what, then for me this is already a signal of uniqueness. I created buildings that were much lower in height than the object I am currently working on, but they were technologically no less complex and required a balanced, integrated approach. It seems to me that uniqueness is what drives both engineering and investors. It is also unique in standard projects: it is also not easy to create a project that will then go into production. We need to come up with optimal solutions that will have both low cost and optimal performance - this is also a unique task. Uniqueness is all that requires an engineer's "brain explosion."

- How much do Russian cities need high-rise buildings?

- High–rise buildings are a series of specific goals that are set by both the city and the investor. And, of course, the future part of the city's infrastructure, because every high-rise building includes a huge complex infrastructure.: networks, logistics, roads. Plus, a high–rise building is a certain element of attraction in the city. It's amazing and strange, but for some reason tourists are more often photographed against the background of these ambitious projects than against the background of the Hermitage or Red Square. More and more panoramas of high–rise buildings appear in films, and selfies show faces against the background of such buildings, meaning it is a part of the landscape that attracts visitors, tourists, and townspeople very much. Such buildings become an element that improves the quality of urban life: everything around them is gradually undergoing some kind of development, redevelopment. Plus, there is an element that makes technology, materials, and engineering move forward. There's no getting away from it.

- How do you minimize the risks associated with safety and unfair work in your work?

- The main goal here is to agree in advance, on the shore, how and by what means to complete the task. If you plan everything in advance, then, by and large, it doesn't matter how many people you have. The process must be planned and rehearsed in advance. There are some complicated things, for example, the assembly of an arched element. In order for the process to take place smoothly and not affect other work, we try to rehearse and assemble all the elements off-site, where there are not many people: we assemble them on the ground, line them up, see where any improvements are needed, finish them in a calm mode, polish them. Therefore, assembly takes place very technologically and quickly on the site. And the notorious human factor is also an element that needs to be foreseen in advance and insured against it. You always need a plan B if something happens.

- The Lakhta Center is in its final stages. What's next?

- We have another complex of buildings being built nearby, and as the building is being built, new tasks appear: finishing work, tenants' arrival, operation. And believe me, this is no less a difficult and interesting task.