Archinect
Laguarda.Low Architects, LLC

Laguarda.Low Architects, LLC

New York, NY

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Dostyk Center

Poised as a future icon in Dostyk’s collection of dramatic venues, the design of Dostyk Center was inspired by Kazakh textiles and the concept of an ‘architectural veil’, a functional steel and glass curtain arching over the building. This veil protects the project from the elements and provides a sense of security.

The centerpiece of the Dostyk Center, which houses Bank Turan Alem, is the outer steel and glass curtain that arches over the building. The design was conceived as an ‘architectural veil,’ an idea inspired from Kazakh textiles, particularly headwear such as scarves, veils, shrouds, and wraps. Constructed against a series of angular and 90-degree wood fins, the ‘veil’ shields the building’s east and west facades during the peak hours of solar gain. In the upper parts of the arch, above the tower block’s roofline, sit a number of wind turbines which generate an alternative source of energy. Much like the actual headdress, the steel and glass arch also serves as a cover, protecting the building from the elements, and providing a sense of security, which in turn is transmitted to the customers of the bank. Located in the direct route from Almaty’s city center to the exquisite ice rink at Medea and further to the majestic slopes of Chimbulak, Dostyk Center is poised as a future icon in the city’s collection of dramatic venues. To this end, the arch formed from the ‘veil’ serves as a figurative gateway between the city of Almaty and the mountains beyond. The central veiled tower is supported and internally connected to two supporting towers to the south. The south facades of these two layered buildings are also ‘veiled,’ with the exception that the wood fins inside the steel and glass curtain wall are turned horizontally to reduce the solar gain from the southern exposure. Nonetheless, the vast glass-enclosed interior spaces such as the conference rooms and fitness centers allow for sunlight to flood the interior.

The two remaining towers, TS Engineering and Halyk Bank, are within the same family of buildings but distinctly different. They are stalwart and angular, stone clad anchors to the composition. With Bank Turan Alem’s central tower, they form an entry plaza that simultaneously gives the project a defined center while allowing all three entities to maintain strong identities. The angularity of the buildings give the project a sense of strength and security, as well as functionally solve the problem of the site’s slope, which extends across the eastern edge of the site, along Avenue and is the base for the five office towers. Entry plazas are set up along the sloping plane for automobiles, while pedestrian plazas are included for retail and public services.

 
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Status: Under Construction
Location: Almaty, Kazakhstan