Archinect - News

Oliver Wainwright on the glitzy starchitecture of Astana: "Like a teenager trying to show off"

2017-10-17T14:35:00-04:00

Architects have a thing for strong men, and the big global practices – from Norman Foster to Zaha Hadid – have piled in in a bid to help Kazakhstan’s dictator, Nursultan Nazarbayev, build himself a trophy city

Guardian architecture critic Oliver Wainwright reports from the Astana World Expo grounds as part of the paper's fascinating new series, Secret Stans, which offers a glimpse into the cities of the former Soviet Republics of Central Asia: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.

In his piece, Wainwright minces no words and describes the collection of petrodollar-funded starchitecture that Kazakhstan’s lone ruler, Nursultan Nazarbayev, enabled to grow from the Eurasian steppe as a "row of awards in a particularly gaudy trophy cabinet," and also questions the 'regime-enforcing' integrity of well known international architects who agreed to build it.

Massive fire destroys Astana skyscraper set to become Central Asia's tallest

2016-02-18T14:08:00-05:00

A huge fire has destroyed a building set to become Central Asia’s tallest tower in the Kazakh capital, Astana. The fire broke out in the early hours of Saturday morning at the construction site of the Abu Dhabi Plaza, an 88-storey tower standing at 381 metres high, designed by architecture firm HKR architects and being built by United Arab Emirates developer Aldar Properties and contractor Arabtec. According to the Kazakh interior ministry, the most likely cause of the fire was a heater.

If in fact completed, this is what the 382 m/1,253 ft Abu Dhabi Plaza tower will look like. Image via the website of the building's architects, HKR Architects.

The New East is where western starchitect dreams come true (or turn into nightmares)

2016-01-07T14:00:00-05:00

The rise of international architecture competitions has given western architects an opportunity to make their mark on eastern Europe and Central Asia [...] Regardless of record-high fees, some of their projects are being cancelled half-way through or take a good decade to build. But the ones that are brought to life often become some of the most recognised works of its authors. For starchitects the miles between eastern Europe and Central Asia is the place where dreams and ambitions come true.

The ski-slope-on-top-of-a-building's-roof thing may be coming to Kazakhstan

2015-12-02T13:53:00-05:00

A new housing complex planned in Astana, Kazakhstan's capital, is set to include a 1,000ft ski slope, running from the roof to the ground. The proposed project was devised by a group of architects, led by Shokhan Mataibekov, who were inspired by Kazakhstan's exceedingly long, cold winter. [...] Enter House Slalom, a multi-purpose, 21-storey building comprised of shops on the ground floor, 421 flats on the upper floors, and an outdoor ski slope running alongside the building.

The idea looks strangely familiar...

In Kazakhstan, a Shimmering Skyline on the Steppe

2014-08-21T13:53:00-04:00

Seventeen years ago, when Kazakhstan moved its capital here, the city of Astana didn’t even exist. [...] But after years of rapid economic growth fueled by Kazakhstan’s oil and gas riches, the skyline of Astana [...] is now punctuated by gleaming skyscrapers and Western-style shopping malls. The city has become a hotbed for architectural experimentation, attracting big names like Norman Foster and Manfredi Nicoletti who have transformed it into what locals now call “Manhattan on the Steppe.”

More big players wanting a slice of that yummy Astana cake: Kazakhstan’s Astana World Expo 2017 Competition Attracts Big International Names