Khan Shatyr: How it was made
Khan Shatyr Entertainment Center opened on July 6, 2010. One of its outstanding features was a combination of technological innovations and a unique design that carries a breath-taking ancient Oriental flavor. Another advantage is polymer coating that made it possible to create an artificial climate of the building under a giant tent. There is a multi-stage temperature control system. The building was constructed as a 500-feet-high tent covering 35 acres. It was made of 188 tons of concrete.
Engin Asralan, General Manager of Khan Shatyr Entertainment Center, told about the construction of one of the symbols of present-day Kazakhstan, and the difficulties construction team faced in the process.
"The idea to construct Khan Shatyr shopping mall belongs to President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev. This idea was made a reality by Norman Foster, an amazing architect and the creator of this unique building who created several architectural wonders of Astana. Opened in 2010, Khan Shatyr is a spire that supports a special translucent tent by stretched steel cables. A special chemical coating of the tent protects the inside space from temperature changes and helps maintain the microclimate. With these and other technologies, Khan Shatyr hit the world's top ten eco-buildings," he said.
He underlined that it was Sembol Construction, a Turkish company, which constructed the building. According to him, the building of that kind was built for the first time and they needed to take into consideration all the features, such as climate, weather conditions, to name but a few.
"A freezing weather in the capital begins in early November. There was a risk that the concrete would freeze before it hardened. Therefore, the workers started improvising by using powerful burners to keep the concrete warm. And this slowed the work progress down. We thought a lot and for a long time about how to erect a spire for the tent. We had to invite experts from various countries and do everything together. A single column was not enough, so we decided to build a tripod column. It was the hardest moment of the whole project as we were to lift the tripod column, mount the ETFE coating in a freezing weather, and get everything done on schedule while the time was running out," the General Manager said.
As he was recollecting, he mentioned another detail about the construction time. The builders were expected to complete the project within two years. However, the construction lasted for four years because of the above-listed peculiarities, including the weather conditions.
Mr. Asralan also told about the peculiarities of the original architecture of the shopping center.
"Its skeleton is a huge tent made of a fine mesh that is covered with unique material permitting light through. Three-layer coating of the dome is capable of enduring a severe climate of Astana because here, a 35-degree heat is normal for summer, and the air temperature reaches -40 degrees Celsius in winter. The dome is made of ETFE, a special material that absorbs sunlight making it possible to create a summer effect inside the tent. The total area of the tent exceeds 10 soccer stadiums. The tent is made of a net of steel cables that supports a translucent ETFE polymer coating," he highlighted.
In terms of the peculiarities of the building structure, it is worth mentioning that Khan Shatyr is the only building in CIS countries that has been acknowledged by Forbes Style. In addition, in 2010, Khan Shatyr won the Award of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan "Altyn Sapa" (Golden Quality) as "The Best Services Enterprise for Small and Medium Businesses".
In Khan Shatyr, you can find such world brands as Zara, New Yorker, Mexx, Bershka, Mango, LC Waikiki, Mondial, Adidas, Massimo Dutti, Nike, Reebok, etc.
Another feature is the Sky Beach Club (an indoor beach) located right under the dome of the shopping mall. According to Khan Shatyr management team, the sand for the beach is delivered from the Maldives.
The remarkable thing is that on average, 30,000 people visit "Khan Shatyr" at weekends. Moreover, the building brings a distinctive charm to the capital of Kazakhstan by making an invisible line from the Qazaq Eli Monument to the Palace of Peace and Reconciliation, through Akorda Presidential Palace to Baшterek Tower - the symbol of the capital.