Combine-45 concreting underground

OAO Combine-45 will supply new generation concrete for the building of a multi-functional shopping centre on Komendantskaya Square. The project complex is unique for St. Petersburg — the structure descends four floors and twenty metres into the ground, where one floor will be taken up with shops and the other three with parking — a total area of 14,000 sq. m. with 200 parking spaces. Above ground there will be six floors, each of which occupies 4,500 sq. m. The total area of the complex is 47,086 sq. m. The underground construction will be completed in August—September this year and the work will require 10—12,000 cubic metres of concrete.

Then concreting will begin on the safety constructions which take the full pressure of the ground load. This work requires a new-generation building material — self-compacting concrete. When applied, the self-compacting concrete mix spreads under its own weight, filling even the tiniest gaps. This mix doesn’t need to be vibrated in order to set the most complex constructions, and achieves a high degree of homogeneity. As Igor Ryzhkov, Director with responsibility of quality at OAOCombine-45,put it, this type of concrete is designed for unique projects and has only been ordered five times. The first time was one and a half years ago, when it was ordered by the Finnish company, QuattroGemini Ltd, which on the basis of tests carried out at its own laboratory confirmed that the material corresponded to European standards. But apart from that, the concrete for the Komendantsky Complex meets increased waterproofing requirements, which means that it is water-resistant. Each batch of the material that is supplied to the building site must undergo testing at the St. Petersburg State Architectural and Constructional University (SPbSACU) independent laboratory, apart from which the building site is continually visited by the manufacturer’s mobile laboratory.

According to the project, the shopping centre will be built in the form of a circle. In the surface part of the complex, there are plans to employ a number of technological solutions that are new for Russia, in particular the use of spider-glass frontage. According to Dmitri Sedakov, Chief Architect at the V. M. Freifeld Architectural Workshop, «The architectural image of the future building reveals clear parallels with the aerospace theme due perhaps to the proximity of the Komendantsky aerodrome.» Those travelling by metro can reach the shopping and entertainment complex directly from Komendantsky Prospekt Station by means of the underground walkway. The Komendantsky Complex should be opened during the second quarter of 2007.