The Architects' Congress brought together world-renowned experts in architecture, design, construction, and development, fostering lively discussions on current trends and modern challenges in these fields between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
A key event during the Congress was a roundtable focused on urban design codes. The headliner of the roundtable was the prominent architect and managing partner of Novaya Labs, Ivan Kuryachiy. This event was supported by over thirty representatives from regional executive authorities, architecture and urban planning departments, as well as expert groups on city design codes.
As is known, the bill for developing design codes has already been submitted for consideration in the Mazhilis and will apply to all cities in Kazakhstan. If the legislative amendments are passed, the external appearance of Kazakh cities is expected to improve significantly. The design code, which is a set of requirements regulating the mandatory visual components of urban space elements, ensures the integrity of the city’s appearance and enhances its aesthetic perception.
However, as noted by Shyngys Kusaynov, the deputy director of KGU "Astana-Zharnama" during his speech at the roundtable, the concept of a design code is currently only enshrined at the legislative level in the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan "On the Special Status of the City of Almaty," and the implementation of unified requirements for urban space design is not detailed. Since the term “design code” is absent in the law, this leads to the misuse of rights by certain entities, disrupting the harmonious combination of urban spaces. Therefore, according to him, the architectural community is awaiting the adoption of the relevant law.
In turn, Ivan Kuryachiy shared the experience of implementing a design code using the city of Derbent (Republic of Dagestan) as an example, which is included in the UNESCO World Heritage list. In this historic city, the concept of "preservation through development" is being implemented, meaning a special working regulation was created to develop Dagestan's "southern capital" while preserving its historical appearance. Architects developed a unique construction formula for Derbent, which includes features of its "genetic code" – that is, a combination of morphotypes that both disrupt and enhance the established appearance of the city – and based on this formula, they began to implement the design code, having previously identified the necessary proportions, finishing materials, and other key details.
Participants of the roundtable actively asked questions, including those regarding budgeting, subsidizing, attracting external consultants, and implementing the design code in regions. Ivan Kuryachiy and officials from the akimats of Astana and Almaty, who have already navigated the path of adopting and implementing the design code, answered these questions, sharing the difficulties they encountered and how they managed to overcome them.
It is worth noting that the sessions of the business program of the congress served as a catalyst for vibrant discussions. The leitmotif of ARCHICA Almaty was the theme "Architecture that Educates," resonating with the President's article dated August 8, 2024, where Kassym-Jomart Kemelevich emphasizes the strategic necessity of transforming Kazakhstan into a regional educational hub. Participants prepared reports addressing both the design of educational facilities and the formation of interdisciplinary interactions, as well as the accessibility of architectural education. One session was dedicated to the needs of students in designing modern schools, where insights were shared by Ian Hunt, chairman of the Haileybury board of trustees, Nick McFly, founder of the Hybrain school, corporate lawyer Dilyara Mazhitova, career guidance expert Dasha Bublik, and researcher of Generation Z and Generation Alpha Daniyar Kosnazarov. They believe that educational institutions should be designed to ensure students feel comfortable learning; their interest in studies should be supported by thoughtful spatial and stylistic solutions rather than stifled by monotonous, rigid designs. Schools should inspire students, and interesting and creative architectural solutions can help achieve this.
Another session of ARCHICA Almaty focused on the education of architects and clients. It featured representatives from the educational platform STEMPS, Ivan Sokolov and Maria Krasnova, who discussed the specifics of creating an online platform specifically tailored to the current demands of architects for professional development in the context of rapidly outdated information. The head of the architectural bureau from the Republic of Sakha "Baza14," Maria Skryabina, brought the topic of education from online to offline and shared a useful practical tool – urban tours, allowing architects and clients to learn together and form a clear, reality-rooted understanding of the project. Engaging in the discussion were Ayzhan Akhmedova (professor at KazGASA, "Architectural Design" program) and Vladimir Yaskevich (senior lecturer at the "Architecture" department of Satbayev University) who presented the perspective of formal educational institutions. Experts agreed on the need to shorten the duration of formal education: 5 years is already too much.
On the subject of urban mobility in Central Asia, the head of transport planning at the British company Urban Movement, John Dales, and founder of Urban Living Riccardo Marini expressed their views. "Do the cities we build have a future?" – this is the central question in the focus of the session of the same name at the congress, and according to Dales and Marini, this question remains open. The future of cities is tied to the well-being of their residents, which is in turn determined by the availability of pedestrian spaces, reducing automobile traffic intensity, and transitioning to public transport. In the context of Almaty's complex transport framework, this topic requires increased attention. "Building more roads in the hope of preventing traffic jams is like loosening your belt in the hope of preventing obesity," concludes John Dales.
ARCHICA Tashkent was marked by the first official public premiere of the master plan for New Tashkent. New Tashkent – a previously closed project aimed at expanding the city area by an unprecedented 20,000 hectares. It has captured the attention of the global architectural and construction community since its announcement four years ago, and ARCHICA became the venue for debunking myths and clarifying important details. On October 9, the construction directorate of "Yangi Tashkent" approved the final master plan during a closed presentation attended by the head of state, and on October 14, Jakhongir Anvarov, head of the architecture and urban planning department, presented the results to the public at the congress.
The business program of the congress in Tashkent covered a wide range of topics: from the revitalization of the Aral Sea region through innovative urbanization projects (Maxim Oltyan, Studio "SAD") to analyzing modern trends in commercial real estate (Ekaterina Simakova and Anton Zakharov, project laboratory SEarch); from the opportunities of retail in modern cities (Magda Kmita and Andrei Barker, bureau The Big Picture) to the interior elements of future offices (Zukhra Najmetdinova, ComTechOff).
Participants also discussed the formation of territorial marketing strategies, emphasizing the importance and relevance of the comprehensive implementation of green construction standards. The perspective of consulting institutions on green certification was presented by the director for Central Asia of HPBS, Anna Zavaleeva, and the founder of the Uzbekistan Green Building Council, Temur Akhmedov, while expertise on territorial marketing was shared by Lyubov Safronova (SAFRONOVA PROJECT STUDIO) and Lyubov Leontyeva (ludi_architects).
In a separate session, specialists in civic engagement, creative cluster formation, and concept design shared their experiences in creating favorable urban environments through dialogue between art and society.
Another significant event of the recent architectural congress, and perhaps its strategic achievement, was the signing of a memorandum between the Kazakh company Invesco Capital Shares Management and the Singaporean partner – The Ascott Limited, which manages 543 hotels in 39 countries worldwide. This subsidiary of CapitaLand is fully owned by Singapore's state investment company Temasek Holdings, which has a capital of $389 billion. The parties agreed to jointly develop the tourism and hospitality sector in Kazakhstan, Central Asian countries, Azerbaijan, and Georgia.
Additionally, the parties agreed to include the "Comfort Hotel Astana" in the international network of The Ascott Limited, converting it under the Citadines brand, which will enhance its competitiveness and attract international guests. This strategic decision will improve the tourist infrastructure of the capital and promises to draw new tourist flows.
The highlight of the congress was the awarding of participants at the Architecture & Design Leaders Awards 2024, which annually recognizes the boldest, most vibrant, and unorthodox architectural projects in Central Asia. Here are the winners:
NOMINATION: Best Hotel Infrastructure Concept
WINNER: Saraiva+Associados
PROJECT: Mayr Almaty – Home of Medical Wellness
NOMINATION: Unique Office Space