The Wooden Tower Of Gangsters
Dominating the skyline of Arkhangelsk, a city in Russia’s far north-west, it is believed to be the world’s tallest wooden house, soaring 13 floors to reach 144ft – about half the size of the tower of Big Ben.
The house that Sutyagin built is also crumbling, incomplete and under threat of demolition from city authorities determined to end the former convict’s eccentric 15-year project.
When Sutyagin began work on his dacha in 1992, he claims he was only intending to build a two-storey house – larger than those of his neighbours to reflect his position as the city’s richest man, but certainly not a contender for the Guinness Book of Records.
However, convinced by a trip to see wooden houses in Japan and Norway, he concluded that he had not used roof space efficiently enough and decided to keep building.
“First I added three floors but then the house looked ungainly, like a mushroom,” he said. “So I added another and it still didn’t look right so I kept going. What you see today is a happy accident.”
I am so building myself a wood tower.
March 28th, 2007 at 5:38 pm
Great picture! Reminds me of the architecture in the crazier parts of Pathologic. This monolith could do with some funding to aid its survival, I can’t understand why the authorities would have it demolished.
March 28th, 2007 at 6:14 pm
I want one. It looks like the most delightfully random and unsafe building in the world, ever.
In lieu of wanting one, i’ll accept an UT2003 map of it.
March 28th, 2007 at 11:45 pm
It would be demolished because it probably breaks all the laws of building codes, which are there for a reason
March 29th, 2007 at 7:52 am
Granted, but this is Russia – Land of Glass-Roofed Swimming Pools. A fragile building seems the most minor of crimes compared to the rampant bootlegging of toxic vodka which continues to kill thousands of Russians each year:
http://www.worldhealth.net/p/alcohol-deaths-spark-debate-in-russia-2006-11-07.html