Kazakhstan architects design building that residents can ski down

The Central Asian country of Kazakhstan is increasingly being recognised for its remarkable taste in modern architecture.

Kazakhstan has some unusual architecture around its capital, Astana Image by ninara / CC BY 2.0

While unusually shaped buildings have begun to emerge on the streets of its capital, Astana, a group of architects in the country has gone a step further by designing a building where residents can ski or snowboard down from the 300-metre snow covered rooftop to street level.

A different type of building design Image by Ken and Nyetta / CC BY 2.0

The 421 dwelling project, according to the Sydney Morning Herald, is named Slalom House and emerged as a possibility because of the long winters that residents experience in that country while also recognizing that there was a dearth of skiing facilities.

It is also envisaged that the apartment block would use Snowflex, which is a synthetic material instead of snow during the warmer months so that the skiing would be a year round option for the residents.

If the building is given approval by local planning authorities, that it will be the first of its kind in the world and the people behind the design are hoping that it could become a major tourist attraction.The  apartment project which was led by architect Shokhan Mataibekov includes, as well as its unusual exit strategy, shops on the ground floor of the 21-storey building.