In the capital city of Astana, temperatures can drop to -40F. Kazakhstan's president Nursultan Nazarbayev says the city is fighting the cold by building an entirely indoor city, under a dome 2 kilometers across.
Turkish construction firm Sembol has drawn up some concept plans which include Venetian-style canals and gondolas.
Sembol is currently completing work on a nearby entertainment complex called Khan Shatyr:
Richard Orange writes, "Khan Shatyr's upper zone has a tropical climate, with an indoor 'beach', water slides, wave machine and tropical garden. Lower zones have a monorail system, a running track, a small amusement park, and a shopping complex. The Indoor City will take the same concept to another scale."
FULL STORY: Kazakhstan plans giant indoor city
Kazakhstan's Shiny and Empty New Capital
Kazakhstan built a new capital city in 1997 in far-off Astana. This piece from The New Yorker takes a tour of the city, and finds a unique architectural development underway, but a city still in its early years of formation.
Kazakhstan Utopia Debuts
Japanese architect Kisho Kurokawa designed a utopian vision interweaving the city and nature. Three years after his death, his vision is complete. Rowan More of the Observer pays Astana, the new capital, a visit.
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