Slalom House: Ski slope could be built on top of apartment block

    Updated 1258 GMT (2058 HKT) December 14, 2015

    An artist's impression of the Slalom House residential building and artificial ski facility designed for the city of Astana in Kazakhstan.
    Photos: Downhill, highrise living
    An artist's impression of the Slalom House residential building and artificial ski facility designed for the city of Astana in Kazakhstan.
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    Astana has few facilities where local ski and snowboard enthusiasts can hone their skills.<br />
    Photos: Downhill, highrise living
    Astana has few facilities where local ski and snowboard enthusiasts can hone their skills.
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    But all that could change with the 326-meter (1,000-foot) artificial slope which descends from the roof of Slalom House.
    Photos: Downhill, highrise living
    But all that could change with the 326-meter (1,000-foot) artificial slope which descends from the roof of Slalom House.
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    The building itself contains space for 421 two-bedroom apartments. <br />
    Photos: Downhill, highrise living
    The building itself contains space for 421 two-bedroom apartments.
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    An artificial<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snowflex" target="_blank"> Snowflex </a>surface ensures year-round skiing would be a possibility, the architects behind the project say.
    Photos: Downhill, highrise living
    An artificial Snowflex surface ensures year-round skiing would be a possibility, the architects behind the project say.
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    The project has been proposed by local collective, the Union of Architects of Kazakhstan, and featured at the World Architecture Festival in Singapore last month.
    Photos: Downhill, highrise living
    The project has been proposed by local collective, the Union of Architects of Kazakhstan, and featured at the World Architecture Festival in Singapore last month.
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    Documents submitted for the WAF reveal the lower floors of Slalom House would also provide space for retailers and food outlets.
    Photos: Downhill, highrise living
    Documents submitted for the WAF reveal the lower floors of Slalom House would also provide space for retailers and food outlets.
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    If built, Slalom House would be just one of an increasing number of impressive structures in Astana.
    Photos: Downhill, highrise living
    If built, Slalom House would be just one of an increasing number of impressive structures in Astana.
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    The city has become home to numerous ambitious building projects since it became the former Soviet Republic's capital in 1997.
    Photos: Downhill, highrise living
    The city has become home to numerous ambitious building projects since it became the former Soviet Republic's capital in 1997.
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    The Ak Orda (White Horde) presidential palace was built in 2004 and is the official workplace of Kazakhstan's long-serving president Nursultan Nazarbayev.
    Photos: Downhill, highrise living
    The Ak Orda (White Horde) presidential palace was built in 2004 and is the official workplace of Kazakhstan's long-serving president Nursultan Nazarbayev.
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    A view of the Khan Shatyr entertainment center (background) through the arch of another of Astana's grandiose buildings.
    Photos: Downhill, highrise living
    A view of the Khan Shatyr entertainment center (background) through the arch of another of Astana's grandiose buildings.
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