Kazakhstan is usually described as one of the countries left off by comrade Stalin, or the first training camp of some of the best ice hockey players in the world. Despite those clichés, the country is showcasing its cossack culture with a huge dome designed by Norman Foster.
The 100,000 Khan Shatyry square meter center borrow its very simple structure to the classic nomad tent. It will provide a sheltered environment for an urban-scale internal park, shopping and entertainment venue.
Above all those features, such a project shows how possible it is now to create big structures, with light and low-environment impact. The envelope of the structure is made of ETFE, a bubble-like polymer that is used for harsh environment and could be transparent. And as we already saw for the Greenwich racing clipper, designing a envelope is a lot cheaper than a pure metallic structure.
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