Feb 11, 2026
Tengrinews.kz has obtained exclusive footage of the
Iconic Towers project, the first world-class skyscraper in Alatau city.
Iconic Towers is a futuristic complex that will become
the tallest building not only in Alatau city, but also in the Almaty region and
throughout southern Kazakhstan. At 272 meters high, the project will exceed
Almaty's current record holder, Esentai Tower (162 meters), by almost 110
meters.
The architecture of the project combines two towers of
different heights on a single massive podium. Its highest point is a 56-storey
tower, which will place Class A offices and modern apartments. The second,
80-meter tower will be entirely dedicated to a five-star international hotel.
The total area of the building will be 276,800 square
meters. At the base of the skyscraper, there will be a three-storey podium with
cultural spaces and a shopping and entertainment center covering an area of
58,000 square meters.
Iconic Towers is based on the concept of a “vertical
city,” which will enable thousands of employees and residents to live
autonomously within a single space. At the same time, the residential,
business, and hotel areas within the complex will be completely isolated from
each other.
Focus on expertise
The exterior design of Iconic Towers was selected from
the design concepts of two world leaders in architecture: the British firm Zaha
Hadid Architects and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) from the USA.
The latter is known as the designer of the world's
tallest skyscraper, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. SOM's portfolio includes such
iconic structures as the World Trade Center 1 (Freedom Tower) in New York, the
Sears Tower in Chicago, and the National Commercial Bank Tower in Jeddah, Saudi
Arabia. Among the company's latest projects is the design of the Olympic
Village for the XXV Winter Olympic Games in 2026 in Italy. In the end, the
Americans' concept was chosen.
The implementation of such a complex project covering
an area of 270,000 square meters requires not only architectural supervision,
but also a contractor capable of maintaining an extremely high pace of
construction without compromising on quality.
It became known in September 2025 during the state
visit of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to the People`s Republic of China that
one of the world's largest construction companies, China State Construction
Engineering Corporation (CSCEC), would be the key developer of the project.
CSCEC is a global leader, responsible for 90 percent of all Chinese skyscrapers
and landmark projects in about 100 countries around the world. Among them are
the UN headquarters in New York, the airport in Hong Kong, and the National
Stadium (“Bird's Nest”) in Beijing.
For Kazakhstan, this cooperation means direct access
to the unique solutions used to build the world's best skyscrapers today.
Read more: https://tengrinews.kz/news/budet-vyiglyadet-pervyiy-neboskreb-alatau-city-poyavilis-592408/