Construction under way on MyCar showroom in Almaty, Kazakhstan

Construction has begun at the innovative, Chapman Taylor-designed car trade-in hub and entertainment space in the city of Almaty in Kazakhstan.

The c.20,000m² development for MyCar will create the most modern and attractive car showroom in city – the first of its kind to include a range of hospitality and leisure facilities in its offer. A large fine dining restaurant and other F&B offers, as well as entertainment facilities, will generate major interest – not just among potential car buyers, but also among the wider public.

The development plot is located on the city’s prestigious Kabanbay Batyr Avenue, which runs north-south in the middle of Almaty and directly links the airport with many key places of interests. The corner site, which is at the junction of Kabanbay Batyr Avenue and Kerey and Zhanibek Khans Street, is bounded by roads from three sides and is highly visible to traffic on these as well as to the surrounding large developments.

A dramatic atrium space in the building’s centre is flanked by two car display wings, offering a simple layout which will be easy to understand and navigate within. Two grand stairs and panoramic lifts will take visitors to the upper level, where food & beverage offers will be available.

On both floors of the building, the left side of the atrium will be dedicated to the display of mass-market cars, while luxury cars will be showcased on the right side. Car displays will use most of the floorspace along the glazed facades on both floors, creating excellent visibility from outside the building. A large fine dining restaurant will be located in the centre, with street food stalls and a variety of themed seating areas placed on either side of the restaurant, overlooking the main reception area and sales are on the ground floor below.

The façade treats the central atrium as the main focal point, with a decorative glass frontage and warm and theatrical lighting effects inside. The atrium will come to life in the dark, continuing to attract visitors to enjoy the F&B offers in the evening. Materials of similar colour will be used to create a minimalist appearance so that the architecture does not distract from the building’s main purpose, which is to display cars.

With construction due to complete in late 2021, this will be a highly contemporary and elegant structure which will house one of the most vibrant and attractive retail and leisure destinations in Almaty when it opens in early 2022.