Khan Shatyr: world’s largest tent
Image by Ismukhammed (Wikimedia)
“And my father dwelt in a tent”
Lehi wasn’t the only one who thought tents were useful.
On December 9, 2006 Kazakhstan’s President, Nursultan Nazarbayev announced the project to build the world’s greatest tent (known as the Khan Shatyr Entertainment Center). On July 5, 2010, the president’s 70th birthday, the tent was completed. Seven country presidents came to its opening ceremony, where Andrea Bocelli sang.
The tent reaches 500 feet high and covers an area equivalent to 10 football stadiums. The tent has high-tech transparent plastic covering and heating/cooling systems to provide a comfortable shelter from Kazakhstan’s bipolar temperatures (from -31 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit). In this comfortable indoor environment, the Khan Shatyr Entertainment Center offers shops, minigolf, an indoor beach resort, a park and even a boating river.
The architect, U.K.’s Norman Foster, has designed over 50 major construction projects. Some of his buildings look like they’re from a Sci-Fi video.
“Control is the wrong word. The practice is very much about sharing, and, in any creative practice, some individuals, whether partners or directors, are much closer to certain projects than I could ever be.”
- Norman Foster
Personal Notes: I think it’s really cool architects are exploring new building materials and structures. I long for the day all people will have a home, however humble it may be.