Mega Silk Way wins two 5* Asia Pacific Property Awards
Mega Silk Way in Astana, Kazakhstan, has won 5* 2021 Asia-Pacific Property Awards for both “Best Retail Development in Kazakhstan” and “Best Leisure Development in Kazakhstan”.
The development has been shortlisted for the overall Asia Pacific Awards for “Best Retail Development” and “Best Leisure Development”, with the awards ceremony set to take place in December 2021.
Mega Silk Way is a 140,400m² GBA retail and entertainment project which opened to much acclaim in March 2017. Built within the masterplan for EXPO 2017, the centre includes retail, restaurants, Kazakhstan’s first IMAX cinema, a 400-seat ice rink, children’s entertainment areas and an indoor rollercoaster.
Sustainability features include high energy efficiency (particularly for a development in a region characterised by temperature extremes), steps to optimise water consumption for sanitary and domestic purposes, a rainwater collection system in a 145m3 tank for irrigation of green spaces, extensive glazing for natural light and excellent public transport links. The development targeted BREEAM In-Use certification from the outset, achieving "Very Good" for asset performance and "Excellent" for Building Management.
Mega Silk Way is the major gateway to the EXPO site, which now functions as Kazakhstan’s World Trade Centre, and has acted as a legacy emblem since EXPO’s conclusion. The development is a beautiful public space which is enjoyed by an estimated two million people per month for its variety of attractions, and it has become a landmark symbol of local and national pride.
The shopping centre represents a transformation in retail development thinking – a friendly, enjoyable shopping space, but also a community hub. Retail is important, and thriving, but the scheme centres on providing a local public space and meeting point.
The striking design feels essentially Kazakh – responding to how locals perceive space and what kind of provisions appeal to them, while using works by local creatives to foster a sense of local ownership of the development. The design is sustainable and responsible, befitting a gateway to, and legacy symbol of, EXPO 2017.
Our design for Mega Silk Way won the 2019 International Property Award for “Best International Retail Architecture”, as well as winning the “Your BREEAM” Award at the 2020 BREEAM Awards for its sustainability credentials.
Early stage concept sketches
Congratulations to our client Astana Group for these well-deserved awards.