What way Astana’s Samal district was constructed
According to Astana GenPlan research institute, the layout design of Samal district was made by Ak Orda, a local architectural firm, in 1996. The working design of two types of buildings was proposed by a Turkish firm. The fronts of these buildings are light-colored, and this instills unique appearance to the buildings on the bank of the Yessil River. The construction began in 1997. The apartments were granted to families of the civil servants who moved from Almaty.
Later, Head of State Nursultan Nazarbayev in his famous book In the Heart of Eurasia dwelt on the construction of Samal district in a detailed way.
"We gave great attention to the construction of a residential neighborhood for civil servants and their families. There were many proposals on the location for the construction of such first neighborhood. The place, where Samal district is now located, was recognized as the most convenient. However, many people objected to the construction in the area. They said there is dirt, reeds, and that the building can fall into the river. But, then-mayor of the city and architects of Astana were holding ground. I supported them, and we allocated this site for the construction. Thus, the most beautiful neighborhood of Astana appeared on the map of the new capital. It was also given a beautiful name," the President recalled in his book.
In addition, in this book, the Head of State outlined that the construction of Astana Tower Business Center worth $33 million was financed by the ABS, a Turkish center. Astana Tower İşletme Company owns one of the largest and most contemporary A-category business centers in Astana.
Astana Tower is a place convenient for embassies, offices of international organizations, banks, oil & gas and construction companies. The total area of its premises is 22,632 square meters.
The building of Astana Tower was constructed using state-of-the-art technologies which meet world standards. It is a 21-storied and beautiful building with adjacent two-storied shopping mall - Ramstore supermarket and Yessil health and fitness center. In addition, there is Akbozat food court, a restaurant, Gloria Jean's Coffees coffee house, a beauty salon, an air ticket office, an air travel agency, a notary office, an exchange office, and a bank. The business center is one of the sites which are most visited by residents and guests of the city.
