Astana State Auditorium by Studio Nicoletti
Italian architects Studio Nicoletti have completed the Astana State Auditorium in Kazakhstan.
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Description by Studio Nicoletti:
This auditorium – one of the largest in the world – was awarded to Studio Nicoletti as the result of an International restricted competition. Founded in the heart of the steppes only four years after the Independence of the Country, Astana is now a decade old new capital of Kazakhstan. Astana’s central nucleus occupies a rectangular area whose organizational axis is based upon a system of three piazzas. In the largest of these, dominated by the Presidential Palace, the State Auditorium faces the Senate House. The vastness of the location conjures up an impression of the immensity of the territory. Flying over the arid vastness of the steppes, we felt that what is really missing were flowers. We decided to build the “Flower of the Steppe”. Amidst this monumental void, the structures of the Auditorium rise like the petals of a flower animated through music. They create an envelope which encloses an internal piazza housing shops, balconies, restaurants, exhibition halls, two cinemas and the 3500 seats Auditorium entirely clad in wood inside and outside. Its shape is similar to a “Dombra” the typical Kazak instrument. Such internal multi-levelled piazza integrates with Astana’s system of public squares, while providing a space protected from the harsh local climate: a temperature range from -40 to +40 and salty winds.
Visit the Studio Nicoletti website – here.
sony djuana on 14 Mar 2010 at 4:32 am #
absolutely stunning!
Borat Sagdiyev on 14 Mar 2010 at 8:51 am #
GREAT SUCCESS!!
Jagshemash…
marshen on 15 Mar 2010 at 3:26 am #
Beautiful building, but I don’t get the flower concept. Call a spade a spade – It was a chance to build a dramaticly different sculptural space for the city which it probably sorely needed.
Kim Mawdsley on 15 Mar 2010 at 1:42 pm #
Quite beautiful, with remarkably pleasing proportions. Each elevation is a delight and whilst I understand the ‘conceptual generators’, I sometimes think we forget a building is a stand alone object which must also be relevant to its context. Well done
Lira on 03 Apr 2010 at 11:45 am #
to marshen
Have you seen the city? If yes, then give the reasons for such comment. If not, who is the judge to decide whether this city needs such object or not?