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Astana, Kazakhstan
Site Area: 334.6ha
Building Area: 9,260m²
Total Floor Area: 23,892m²
Program: Main Terminal Building
Design: January 2000 – August 2002
Construction: September 2002 – December 2005
Summary of scope of work : Overall Master plan,Preliminary Design, Schematic Design, Design Development, Construction Supervision
Key challenges and accomplishments:
Challenges - This airport will be a new gateway for Astana, the new capital of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The challenge was to design a building that remains in the hearts of travelers. Specifically, speaking the design should be symbolic of a gateway to the new capital and it should embody the image of the country adequately. Another challenge was to design a comfortable, safe, and functional space that withstands the severe natural environment. In the winter, temperatures drop to -40 degrees Celsius or lower and in the summer reach up to 40 degrees Celsius or higher. Regional materials and construction methods had to be effectively incorporated into the design along with collaborating with the local architectural firm.
Accomplishments - The dome located in the center of the terminal building is based on the shape of an indigenous movable housing unit type known as "Yurta". Two types of blue Islamic mosaic tiles have been used for the dome's exterior finish. This is in respect to the religion of Islam and are the colors for the national flag. As a result, the building expresses the identity of Kazakhstan.
A KKAA Kazakhstan office opened during the preliminary schematic design phase. Simultaneously, the Tokyo office has established a collaboration between KKAA and a local firm that has lasted till the end of the bid set phase. As a result of KKAA's presence in Kazakhstan, many of the important issues such as design approach to the local climate, conformance to the local building code, and detail design have been intensively discussed. Therefore, the challenge to design a safe and comfortable airport in this severe climate has been successfully accomplished.
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