ALMATY – Aibek Almassov, a student at the Kazakh Architecture Academy, has seen his work achieve global acclaim through social media.
The cylindrical glass house in the mountains of Almaty depicted on Facebook and other media outlets was not an actual photograph, but a drawing of one of his ideas. To his amazement, the fame his idea earned through social networks has paid off in concrete investment: Almassov received an order from the United Arab Emirates. The foreign investors want to buy his green idea and build a cafe designed along the same principles in Dubai.
According to Almassov, for Expo 2020, the UAE intends to build the largest treehouse in the world, which will be surrounded by a glass construction. Almassov’s glass house interests them because of its use of alternative energy sources. The apartment with composting toilets is fully autonomous: water is purified in a small container and electricity and heat is supplied from built-in glass solar panels. Almassov wants to implement his project on the site of EXPO 2017.
“I have been hatching the idea for about a month. I had drawn a dozen sketches before the idea of a cylindrical, transparent construction came. The owner of this house can relax here and feel truly part of nature. I painted the house and put it on the website,” he said.
Almassov’s self-promotion worked: the young man not only won some cash prizes, but has also drawn attention to other green projects. The student-architect has designed dozens of sketches aimed at consumers who value simplicity and adaptability and who care for the environment. He has developed concepts for solar-powered road signs, a modern bicycle and even a science lab at the top of a mountain for studying climate change. Now, through the word of mouth social media can whip up, the student may find an easier path to professional fulfillment.
