From 10 June to 10 September in Astana, Kazakhstan, the world-wide exhibition EXPO 2017 took place. Latvia was represented in its pavilion and, in a way, also the Valmiera Glass Group, whose produced material was used for the creation of the Kazakhstan’s MEGA Silk Way shopping centre. The shopping centre roof elements of the internal and external facades of about 20 thousand square meters are made from Atex® textile membrane produced by the Valmiera Glass Group company Valmiera Glass UK Ltd.
This project is unique in that the installation of the Atex® textile membrane was to be carried out during winter, when the outside temperature reached minus 25°C. This task was successfully accomplished thanks to the membrane's technical properties and its flexibility even at very low temperatures. Furthermore, Atex® membranes are treated against moisture, making them resistant to various effects of weather and temperatures ranging from -50°C to +200°C. Atex® architectural fabrics are lightweight construction materials with more than 25 years of product longevity, possessing high ecological accreditation rates.
The total area of the MEGA Silk Way shopping centre is about 140 thousand square meters, its length is about 500 meters, width 160 meters, while the height is 25 meters. It is equivalent to an eight-story building that matches harmoniously the style of the EXPO 2017 international exhibition’s architectural ensemble. The approximate number of monthly visits of the shopping centre is one million; this figure was doubled during the EXPO 2017 exhibition.
In photos (annexed): Application of Atex® textile membrane in roofing elements of the Kazakhstan MEGA Silk Way shopping centre. Photos ©APS Engineering Co, Kazakhstan