ASTANA – The construction of a residential area using green technologies has begun in Astana, Chairman of the Board of the Samruk Kazyna Real Estate Fund Bolat Palymbetov announced at a Central Communications Service (CCS) press briefing on Nov. 18.
The Green Quarter is a residential and office complex that incorporates advanced technologies. The architectural concept of a green quarter was developed by British company AEDAS, one of the world’s largest architectural firms. An advanced system aimed at reducing water and energy consumption by 20 percent will be installed at the facilities, Palymbetov said.
In early 2013, President Nursultan Nazarbayev ordered the Samruk Kazyna Sovereign Wealth Fund to implement the Green Quarter project in Astana. The fund announced an international tender for the development of the concept, including a conceptual layout, models, sketches and a preliminary feasibility study. The project will be carried out between 2014 and2017, with the first buildings being commissioned in 2015. According to preliminary estimates, the project will cost 44 billion tenge ($US240 million).
The Green Quarter will symbolise high-tech energy saving measures and modern environmental awareness. The facilities will be built using highly energy efficient technology. The complex will also include parks and ponds as well as an arboretum covered by a bio-dome, which will feature exotic plants.
The construction site covers 146,000 square metres, with residential buildings occupying more than 100,000 square metres and shopping centres and offices taking more than 45,000 square metres. All buildings at the Green Quarter will meet LEED Green Building international standards. Each building will have its own environmental passport.
The project will be implemented as a joint public-private partnership consisting of Samruk Kazyna Development and BI Group Holding. The Samruk Kazyna Fund, through building this green quarter, hopes to spark an interest in abiding by international environmental construction standards in private construction companies.
“Construction has already begun and should be completed by 2017. It is hard to tell how much each square metre will cost, but it certainly will not be cheap. Prices will be quite expensive, over$2,000 per square metre. However, the price of such units usually later drop thanks to social services. They also fluctuate based on emerging technological developments. We can now say with confidence that the Green Quarter will be yet another jewel of the city visible at the opening of EXPO 2017,” Palymbetov said.
