When completed, Astana Expo City 2017 will be one of the most sustainably built developments in the world, writes Architect magazine in an article containing construction photos and design sketches from the architecture firm Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture (AS+GG).

Expo 2017 will run from 10 June to 10 September 2017, at which time the 174-hectare development will be converted into an office and innovation park with additional residential developments. The buildings are designed in a manner that they can be easily converted into usable spaces – museums, office buildings, educational facilities – after the three-month expo is over, said Adrian Smith.

Given the theme “Future Energy”, the entire development has been designed to minimise the site’s energy use while maximising its energy efficiency and energy-harvesting potential, according to the article. The buildings are designed to operate as power plants that harness energy from the sun and wind. They will use the power directly and supply any excess power to the district-wide smart grid for storage or use, said Gordon Gill.

High-performance glazing will maximise solar heat gain in winter while providing shading in summer. Energy piles will reduce energy demand, while exposed thermal mass will provide temperature modulation within the buildings during both summer and winter. In addition, 90 per cent of the waste generated on-site will be diverted from a landfill thanks to recycling or composting, while rainwater will be harvested to save resources.

“What was important to us in this project was working toward a higher standard for urban development and architectural design, one that serves the needs of a 21st-century community,” said Robert Forest, a partner at AS+GG. “Our philosophy was to design a community that can be used for the Expo, not an Expo that has to be retrofitted into a community.”