Kazakhstan’s Tower of the Sun by Fundamental Architects

Dutch studio Fundamental Architects and Omega Render have recently designed this iconic skyscraper that also doubles as a bridge over the Ishim River in Kazakhstan.

“Made for the country’s largest developer, BI GROUP, the 75,000 sq. meter mixed-use building is sited in the heart of Astana. Reaching a height of 121 meters over the river Ishim, the building is set to become a new home for residential, office, hotel and commercial functions as an infrastructural hub.

The project utilizes the power of the water stream in the river underneath. It doesn’t require a typical dam for creation of hydroelectric power, but introduces a narrower river cross section under the building to increase the stream speed and its power. Heat pump and smart building orientation avoids overheating of the building from the south-western side during hot summer days to maximize the efficiency of the building. The project creates new user-friendly connections on the street level between key parts of the city and becomes a new anchor point for business, life and recreation in the City of Winds.”

More architecture inspiration via ArchDaily