NOMAD’S CARPET

Nomad’s Carpet
Astana | Kazakhstan

A monumental urban carpet inspired by Kazakh heritage and symbolism.

In the heart of Astana, Nomad’s Carpet emerges as a visionary public space and entertainment destination, inspired by the intricate carpets used by Kazakhstan’s nomadic tribes to decorate their yurts. Just like those handcrafted textiles, each knot and pattern becomes a colorful pixel with a purpose — from lush green areas and sports venues to playful spaces and cultural landmarks — woven together to form a bold, immersive urban tapestry.

This grand intervention, also referred to as the Juldyz Memorial and Entertainment Hub, transforms traditional Kazakh ornamental patterns into contemporary geometric abstractions. These patterns define floor graphics, landscape elements, and architectural forms, creating a rich visual identity that feels both timeless and innovative.

The layout of Nomad’s Carpet is structured around four distinct corners, each dedicated to a specific function. One corner becomes a vibrant sports hub with courts, fields, and workout zones. Another is transformed into an urban forest for relaxation. A third hosts a playful theme park for family entertainment, while the fourth offers a peaceful green park for gatherings and leisure. Each corner is complemented by a service building providing key amenities such as a training center, arcade, co-working space, and indoor gym, ensuring the site serves the community on multiple levels.

At the center of the project stands the monumental memorial complex, symbolizing the soul of the country. Four grand buildings — an art museum, a history museum, a library, and a conference hall — occupy the ground floor, forming the cultural heart of the site. On the second floor, four large exhibition halls are connected by an elevated green pathway that crosses through each building.

This elevated path offers visitors a unique experiential journey, leading them through Kazakhstan’s history and culture before arriving at the central water feature. The path extends into a balcony overlooking cascading water, creating an overwhelming sense of scale and contemplation — a space designed for reflection and admiration of the nation’s progress and unity.

All forms and shapes throughout Nomad’s Carpet are derived from the geometric abstraction of Kazakh ornaments — zoomorphic, plant-based, cosmogonic, and geometric symbols — reinterpreted into bold, colorful designs that shape the landscape, pavements, and public furniture.

At the core, the design reimagines the Shanyrak, the iconic circular opening of the yurt roof, a symbol of family, unity, and connection to the sky. Where nomads once gazed upward to navigate by the stars, visitors here look down from elevated platforms onto floating forests and pristine waters — a poetic inversion symbolizing prosperity and vision.

Beyond its monumental center, Nomad’s Carpet is a vast, vibrant public space filled with greenery, colorful pavements, sports fields, playgrounds, and gathering areas. It aspires to become an entertainment hub that attracts both citizens and visitors from across Kazakhstan and around the world — a bold, unforgettable landmark.

Nomad’s Carpet is more than a project; it is a monumental entertainment hub where culture, nature, and innovation intertwine to create a vibrant place of gathering, reflection, and celebration. Designed to attract tourists from around the world, it will position Astana as a major destination and a symbol of contemporary Kazakhstan on the regional and global stage.

Credits

PROJECT NAME: Nomad’s Carpet
DESIGN: 100 Architects (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.
DESIGN TEAM: Marcial Jesús, Javier González, Lara Broglio, Mónica Páez, Yuntong Liu, Cosima Jiang, Keith Gong, Michelle Aldora, Jango Zhang.
PROJECT MANAGEMENT TEAM: Jenny Fan & Eva Jiang
SIZE: 160.000 m2
STATUS: Concept Design
LOCATION: Astana, Kazakhstan

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