The Slalom House – World’s First Ski Slope On A Rooftop

Kazakhstan is one of the fastest growing economies of the world and this translates into a wide range of fields, including architecture. In Astana, the young capital of the former Soviet republic in Central Asia, modern buildings rise to the sky in various futuristic designs and shapes. But since vision keeps the pace with the economy, the Kazakh architects has come up a new proposal which, if implemented, would mark a world premiere: the project would be the world’s first residential building that doubles as an outdoor ski slope.

The 70 million USD project was unveiled by the architecture firm Shokhan Mataibekov Architects and bears a name which reflects its very practical purpose – the Slalom House. The construction is a modern residential bulding featuring 21 stories mounted with an artificial ski slope that wraps around the rooftop in a U-shaped formation. Despite cold winters testing the Kazakh capital, Astana’s inhabitans have very few places where ski and snowboard enthusiasts can practice their skills while the closest ski slopes are located a four-hour drive away.

That’s why architect and avid skier Shokhan Mataibekov, who is also the head of the Union of Architects of Kazakhstan, proposed the Slalom House, a 21-story apartment building mounted with an artificial ski slope that wraps around the rooftop in a U-shaped formation. The proposed ski slope would be built from artificial snow called Snowflex to allow for year-round skiing, according to Inhabitat.com

Mataibekov says he is involved in advanced negotiations over the implementation of the project which, besides the 421 apartments and the modern ski slope, will also house shops and restaurants on the lower floors. Until then, the Slalom House design was also recently recognized as a finalist in the residential category at the 2015 World Architecture Festival in Singapore. The building will perfectly match the Kazakh capital’s spectacular skyline.