Recently there has been an extreme interest in place-making for a remote corner of the world in Kazakhstan (as documented here). Almaty, once the capital of Kazakhstan, still remains its financial and cultural hub. A number of international competitions have recently been sponsored to develop a new financial and cultural district in the southeastern part of the city. Among these, one competition in particular was to design a new mixed use development (consisting of high end residences, a luxury hotel, office and retail spaces) adjacent to the most significant civic space in the city, Republic Square. Remnants of Soviet occupation still reverberate through the city, and the undercurrent for this (and all) of the competitions seems be revealing an image of the city and culture that has always been there, but never focused.
The question is how to do this in light of embracing some of the progressive measures found in western architecture, but keeping a strong tie to a cultural situation as the city moves forward with this vision.
Jury members for the competition were Hani Rashid, Michael Sorkin, Suha Ozkan, and Mohsen Mostafavi.
The competition participants were Eric Owen Moss Architects, Eisenman Architects, Zaha Hadid Architects, and a team of E/Ye Design & NBBJ. The following were the entries, minus the Eisenman scheme, which I can’t find images of. The Hadid and EOM schemes were recently exhibited at SCI-Arc in February. Blurbs can be found on the school’s website.
The E/Ye Design + NBBJ scheme specifically deals with the relationship of the built and the landscape, and exploits the spaces left between as a direct outcropping of the dichotomies created by a true “mixed use” program. Check out the images – commentary welcome…
Eric Owen Moss, Architects
Zaha Hadid Architects
MS
These buildings are starting to look cool, but are they really the most efficient use of space? The Smurfs HAD to live in mushrooms. Why should we?