Nazarbayev Kazakhstan Centre
- location
- Kazakhstan, Turkestan
- design
- 2019
The idea of the Centre is to create a building that reflects both the identity of national culture and Kazakhstan’s orientation towards the future. The collapse of the once-powerful Soviet empire led to the emergence of new independent states on its ruins. In that difficult period, the people of Kazakhstan — and above all its titular nation — faced the task of building a new state. At the head of this complex undertaking, at the beginning of this major process, when the fate of an entire country depended on its success, stood, of course, the First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan and Leader of the Nation, Nursultan Nazarbayev. Contemporary Kazakhstan is a successful and steadily developing country, occupying a достойное place within global processes.
In Turkestan, in the south of the country, a state programme is being developed to transform the city into the cultural capital of the entire Turkic world, stretching from the Mediterranean Sea to the Pacific and Arctic Oceans. In this context, the construction of the Nazarbayev Kazakhstan Centre was planned. An international competition was held for the project, in which the concept by ATRIUM + Too Network Construction won first place.
The concept of the Centre is based on the creation of a building that reflects the identity of national culture and Kazakhstan’s aspirations towards the future. Its point of departure is the yurt — the principal dwelling of the nomadic Turkic peoples, embodying the ancient culture of the Kazakhs and symbolically linked to the national worldview. On the basis of this module, through a series of formal transformations, a structure was developed that incorporates collective images of a nomadic settlement, the steppe landscape, and authentic natural and cultural patterns.
The main yurt-pavilion contains the principal exhibition dedicated to Nursultan Nazarbayev, whose internal walls are designed as interactive media surfaces. Other halls present historical documents, artistic material and photographic illustrations reflecting the era of President Nazarbayev’s leadership. Smaller yurts accommodate a café, administration and a museum pavilion for temporary exhibitions. Together, they form an aul of several yurts — a symbol of national unity.
Above, the yurt exhibition spaces are covered by a smooth, flowing roof-shell. Its form is a composite image of the landscapes of Kazakhstan: desert dunes, majestic mountains and full-flowing rivers. The roof can be accessed both from outside and from within the museum. It contains an observation deck and an open-air amphitheatre for various events. Their very presence is also symbolic — an expression of the openness of Kazakh society and its commitment to democratic principles.
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