Postcard Astana: An Image of a Modern State Designed by World Renowned Architects

Abstract

After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, fifteen newly independent republics were formed. Kazakhstan was the only one among them to relocate its capital city and build a new one. Such a risky and expensive move was aimed at breaking away from the Soviet legacy and marking a new beginning for an independent Kazakhstan. The new capital was to become the beacon of progress and modernity on a global scale like Abu-Dhabi in UAE and Doha in Qatar. To achieve such a worthy goal, Kazakhstan had to rely on world-renowned architects such as Norman Foster who designed two of the most iconic buildings: Khan Shatyr (the “Tent”) and The Palace of Peace and Reconciliation (the “Pyramid”). Such dependency on foreign experts, however, was reflected not only in design but also in construction materials and labor force as well, highlighting Kazakhstan’s developmental challenges. Their primary locations just behind the presidential palace and on the western end of the new administrative axis give a message of their importance to the new capital city. Using the name and prestige of Norman Foster, these projects were designed to impress the public with their monumental scale, pure geometries, and spectacular interiors. Pyramid provides spaces for a museum, concert hall, conferences and office space while Khan Shatyr has entertainment and shopping functions. The hand and style of an architect, known as an innovative, high-tech specialist, is vividly seen in the design of these buildings both in the interior as well as exterior. This dissertation analyzes the architecture of post-Soviet modernization in Kazakhstan by closely examining two key architectural projects: the Palace of Peace and Reconciliation (Pyramid) and Khan Shatyr Shopping and Entertainment Center (Tent). They are studied in terms of their architectural significance as an art medium to create a unified image of Kazakhstan as a modern country that aspires to become developed. So, the question remains whether Kazakhstan can construct its own world class iconic buildings without foreign help. Thus, to answer this question, the study uses fieldwork and primary observation as its main source of data collection. Moreover, the significance of this research lies in the official and critical analysis of the post-Soviet architectural modernization in Kazakhstan over diverse Kazakh, Russian, and Western literature such as books, academic journal articles, online magazine posts, official state websites, and several site visits to document the existing conditions of these buildings. Based on close examination of the buildings and related literature, the study found that the design of these projects and their structural elements are highly sophisticated and cannot be produced in Kazakhstan. Therefore, these findings indicate that the country needs to emphasize better training for its architects and enhance its industrial capability to produce modern construction materials and structural elements that meet high-tech requirements using its own human and natural resources without reliance on imports.