Located in the very center of the Eurasian continent, Astana is the most important transport hub on the Trans-Asian Railway linking Russia with China and the countries of Central Asia. The question of building a new station here - modern, safe and spacious - has been raised for a very long time. For some time, the implementation of these plans was hampered by the economic crisis, but as soon as the government of Kazakhstan and the city had free funds, an international architectural competition for the project of a transport complex was immediately announced. Five teams were invited to participate in it: Atelier4d Architekten and Von Gerkan, Marg und Partner (Germany), Kann Finch Group (Australia), HOK (USA) and Studio 44 (Russia), and five more projects were prepared by Kazakh and Turkish architects on a personal initiative. The project "Studio 44", thus, was recognized as the best of 10 works: the jury unanimously awarded it the first place for "a sharp and interesting language of architectural and spatial technique that turns the station into an urban accent, commensurate with the existing architectural ensembles of the city."
The new station will be built in the southeastern part of Astana, on the continuation of one of the most important city highways - G. Mustafin Street. It leads to the most significant buildings of the new Kazakh capital, both already built and under construction - the Palace of Schoolchildren, the pyramid of the Palace of Peace and Reconciliation, the Presidential Palace, the House of the Government of Kazakhstan, etc. Against such an honorable background, the station simply had to get the appropriate scale - and Studio 44 interpreted it as the “main gate of Astana”. “We immediately realized that the complex, towering in the multi-kilometer perspective of Mustafin Street, should be perceived as the Arca de la Defense in the perspective of the Champs Elysees, and this predetermined its architectural solution,” says Nikita Yavein.
The arch is indeed the most spectacular component of the architecture of the new Astana station - a transparent structure in the form of a hyperbolic paraboloid, the pattern of the coating of which reproduces the lattice structure of the kerege on a gigantic scale. “This form of a hyperboloid is not only expressive, but also technologically advanced, easy to manufacture and thus ideally suited for overlapping large spaces without creating extra cubic meters of heated volume,” says Nikita Yavein. “But its expressive silhouette was also very important for us: the arch rises over the station and the roads leading to it like a rainbow over the steppe, emphasizing the grandiose scope of Astana and its vast expanses. In its smooth outline, one can guess both the soft outlines of the hills and mounds of Kazakhstan, and a hint of a saddle and a bow, so characteristic of nomadic culture."
The existing railway tracks are raised above the ground by 3 meters, and the station itself is located on a concourse above them. Such a constructive solution allows for a more rational use of the city territory: in particular, G. Mustafin Street is carried out in transit through the underground part of the station complex, where the architects propose to organize the main stops of public transport. To serve passengers, one onshore and three island platforms will be built (one more standby platform is provided in case the station complex develops in the future), and a commercial building will be included in the station to accommodate all the necessary additional functions. It is planned to build it on the other side of the tracks, and to solve the extended flat roof as an exhibition of the achievements of gardening art. Under the arches of the transparent arch, a single space of a multi-tiered distribution hall is formed, from the giant windows of which breathtaking views of Astana will open.
The architects propose to turn the station square in front of the main facade into a “terraced park” with artificial relief, which should revive the mostly flat landscape of the city. The system of terraces leads just to the main distribution hall, and for those who have no time to climb the wide stairs, there are travelators and ramps connecting the roadway with multi-level parking lots. The parking lots are twisted into tight spirals and do not just flank a wide area, but, as if springs-springs, connect the translucent vaulted vault of the railway station with the ground.
From the inside, the station is all as if woven from stairs, escalators and elevators - such a developed system of internal communications makes it easy and quick to move between transport stops and light metro, platforms and the main hall of the complex. It also ensures the unity of its parts located on both sides of the railway tracks, thanks to which for Astana the new station becomes not only a striking work of modern architecture, but also a kind of transport and pedestrian bridge between the two districts of the city.
