Al
Farabi Business Center
Almaty, Kazakhstan
The 183,000 sq m business center consists
of four 7-story, Class “A” office buildings building situated
on a 3.8 hectare site in the heart of the business district.
Two common underground parking levels serve the buildings
and a large nicely landscaped plaza with water features
provides a resting area for the tenants. The four office
buildings are connected to a three-story amenities building
which will include restaurants and a conference facility.
Its location in one of the most seismic areas in the world
presented some challenges for the structural design. Korda
performed a three dimensional dynamic analysis and design
for a locality that can potentially generate earthquakes of
magnitude of at least 9 on the Richter scale. Mat foundation
and shear walls are being used to resist the earthquake forces
and a waffle slab is used to support the floor loads. Cantilever
beams up to 6 meters long are used extensively to accommodate
the architecture and support the unique curtain wall system.
Sustainable design concepts such as heat recovery, rain water
storage tanks, and daylight harvesting are all being incorporated
and the project will be submitted for LEED Certification. |
