This summer, from June 10 to September 10, Kazakhstan’s capital Astana hosted one of the most prominent events of the year – the International Specialized Exhibition EXPO 2017. 115 countries and 22 international organizations took part in the exhibition. 3,500 events were organized during the exhibition, and around 4 million people have visited the venue. An exhibition facility for such a major project was constructed on the Left (southern) Bank of the Ishim River in Astana on a total area of 174 hectares. EXPO site itself occupies 25 hectares, the remaining space (149 hectares) was developed for residential use and infrastructure facilities. EXPO 2017 was designed by the eminent Chicago-based design firm Adrian Smith+Gordon Gill Architecture with a special focus on the exhibition topic, Future Energy. The key architectural structure of the exhibition complex was the pavilion of Kazakhstan – Nur Alem. This is the world’s largest spherically-shaped building, measuring 100 m in height from plinth level and 80 m in diameter. Its total area is 24,000 sq. m. Constructing this unique eight-storeyed building required the use of over 13,000 tones of metal and 3,535 insulated glass windows weighing 1,626 tones. The glass used in Nur Alem is of a unique, two-directionally arched shape, which helps avoid angles and light refraction. Each insulated glass unit has been designed for its specific installation spot. In accordance with the topic of EXPO 2017 “Future Energy”, Nur Alem’s façade incorporates photovoltaic elements that transform solar energy into electricity and two noiseless wind generators at the very top of the sphere.
The services provided by BTP for this project are;
Creation of details, modeling and manufacturing drawings of the entire facade shell.
