Astanas Art-Deco Skyscraper

Astanas Art-Deco Skyscraper

Thirties art-deco might not be the sort of architectural style you'd associate with Kazakhstan, but in the case of the new Ritz-Carlton hotel in Astana, that's exactly what they are getting.

The design comes from the pen of Robert Stern who has designed a 242 metre tall, 60 storey building with 114 hotel rooms and suites, a banqueting hall and a state ballroom. The hotel will also service 210 apartments on the upper levels, including a number of penthouses.

Bearing in mind the various changes in climate that Astana experiences from blistering hot summers to snowstorms and near-arctic winters, a glazed central court is included in the scheme to provide "outdoor" space that won't see the hotel patrons freeze to death or die of dehydration.

Stern has designed the building to appear similar to the art-deco skyscrapers that dominated many American cities in the 1920s and 1930s with set-backs from a broad base similar to the Empire State Building.

The zoning rules and canyon-like streets were effectively decided this shape, not structural reasons, but these don't exist in Astana showing that the style has moved far beyond its original architectural function and is now part of a vernacular that expresses a glamourous bygone many places aspire to and is perfect if you want to go to the "Ritz".

The only thing missing from making this a true modern interpretation of the Empire State Building is a spire. With the familiarity of the famous American skyscraper, this omission makes the design feel a bit lacking - it's missing something that one almost expects. But despite the lack of a spire, the building will still be the tallest in Astana if built.

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