Its architectural heritage reconciles the very different Baroque and pure neoclassical styles, as can be seen in the Admiralty, the Winter Palace, the Marble Palace and the Hermitage.
"The reality is that they are two completely different, incompatible technologies, but it's a nice way to get away from TD-S, by claiming it's an upgrade or an evolution," says Mr Thelander.
Why did the peoples of Western Europe adjust themselves to the scarcity of all things on which human well-being depends in a way entirely different from that of the Orientals?