Expo 2017 | Future Energy

The Modern Nomads – The Green City Revolution

“An ever-increasing world population, combined with a strong rise in energy demand has led to the greenhouse effect. This situation is particularly tragic since it is paralleled by the destruction of a large percentage of the world’s forests, which would otherwise be capable of sequestering a greater amount of carbon dioxide. Given this situation, a truly global climatic collapse seems to be unavoidable. The task is not to plan for a medium-tem energy crunch but, much more significantly, to respond to a significant environmental crisis that already shows its clear beginnings. In order for us to leave a world behind in which our children find it worthwhile to live in, we must very quickly learn to use global resources more sparingly to lighten the burden on the environment. The clear message must therefore be…
Less is more”
Klaus Daniels, Energy Design for Tomorrow

We are inspired by the life style of the nomads, who over centuries learned to perfectly adapt to their environment and site conditions. Today, we can learn from their approach to create the most sustainable cities that will adapt to the environment instead of destroying it. A humble approach to analyze climatic conditions and side configurations will lead to different design approach to sustainable cities. The cities of tomorrow will respect the environment while creating high-quality living conditions and a variety of ambiances through the intelligent synthesis of the following: high-density and mixed use development, a sustainable energy supply, the responsible use of resources, such as water treatment and waste treatment, recycling waste to energy and biogas.

Implementing new technologies into our cities is the key to considerably reducing our carbon footprint. This means understanding the nomadic culture and capturing the Spirit of the Nomads. We can learn from them and emulate their sustainable lifestyle to reduce our resource consumption and leave behind a better world for future generations.

Keypoints of the Sustainable Urban Design:

1. A design that is harmoniously integrated into the present layout of the city, while seeking to continue and strengthen its existing axis of development.

2. A central water feature creates a natural boundary for the Expo site while participating in bringing to life the city with an animated waterfront. Smaller water features along the Esplanade enhance microclimate, providing comfort and participating in the welcome experience of Astana’s Expo2017.

3. The soil from the water features will be used on site to create an undulating landscape that participates in animating the parks, while creating a shelterbelt effect that protects the site from the dominant southwestern winds.

4. A variety of planted Avenues and Boulevard parks and gardens participate in creating a green urban landscape for a sustainable microclimate, enhancing the comfort of the citizens. Various species of trees differentiate the different spaces and create a hierarchy in the streets.

5. A mixture of covered and open public spaces enhances communication and exchange between visitors. The central covered Expo Plaza is an urban landmark that inscribes the public space of the Expo site into the skyline of Astana.

6. A large-scale Biosphere houses the Pavilion of Kazakhstan, the Astana Pavilion and the Performing Arts Center. Additionally, it provides climatic gardens capable of housing multiple events throughout the year despite weather conditions. The covered shelterbelt houses an exhibition for algae and their use in energy production and food supply.

7. A sustainable energy supply promotes the use of diverse green energy sources, completely covers the need for energy used towards heating, cooling and electricity of the Expo-city. The mixed use of wind power, solar energy, geothermal energy, biomass and biofuel, algae and waste to energy facilities allows for the creation of one of the first zero carbon cities in the world. This establishes Kazakhstan as a leader of green energy use.

8. The site is organized in a series of ripples each with a variety of ambiances. They differ between high-density metropolitan towers, hotels, offices, high-rise living and shopping centers and other commercial activities to more relaxed business districts and residential areas in the parks. Through simply crossing the street, one has an exposure to a unique variety of experiences.

9. Public facilities gathered in a green band around the central areas participate to creating an exciting space for communication and cultural events. The high-density, mixed use environment opens opportunities to centralize the sustainable energy supply and helps to limit the waste of energy for transportation.

The Symbol of Expo 2017

The idea of the tent as the symbol of traditional sustainable nomadic living, in combination with the today’s latest technologies, provides a strong symbol of Kazakhstan’s Leadership in sustainable development in the region.

Floating above the ground, the ring is held by a simple 240m high pylon. This generates the main structure for the Expo Plaza and creates a holistic experience for visitors. A tensile structure provides a protective screen that shelters and animates this central area during the Expo event, while its shape facilitates the natural cooling of the stack effect. From inside, visitors can experience the stunning view of the new Expo City and gather information about occupancy, energy consumption and weather conditions. Like a seismograph this sculpture reacts and reflects the hidden life of the city and creates and enhances reality experience for the visitors.