Kazakhstan Opens 150-m-Tall ‘Tent’ It Claims Is the World’s Tallest Tensile Structure

Covered by what is claimed to be the world’s tallest tensile structure, the Khan Shatyr Entertainment Center has opened in Astana, Kazakhstan.

Photo: Courtesy Nigel Young, Foster + Partners

Designed by London-based Foster+Partners, the 150-meter-tall transparent tent is clad in cushions of insulating ethyl tetra fluoro ethylene to shelter Kazakhs from their harsh climate.

With a 250 x 230-m elliptical footprint, the tent encloses a park as well as entertainment and leisure facilities.

The structure’s design-build team includes Sembol Construction, Antalya, Turkey, and structural engineer Buro Happold, London.

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