Designs to build Kazakhstan’s latest eco-plaza along Astana’s ‘green axis’ have been unveiled by Foster & Partners.

Abu Dhabi Plaza is an astounding matrix of buildings with a retail and leisure sector and a hotel cluster at the base that rises to form a series of office and residential towers to the north.

The design concept has been driven by the extreme local climate. An innovative thermal hot water collecting system for the south façade is being considered to maximise solar gain in the colder months. The north façade is strongly insulated to harness heat, and appears like a solid grid interspersed with random glazing.

The Aldar Property development incorporates a series of temperate year-round winter gardens which allows light to be channelled deep inside the buildings. The highly efficient compact scheme is an effective means of maximising the potential for thermal insulation during the colder winter months, when temperatures can reach as low as minus 40 degrees Celsius.