New horizon
The Architectural transformation of Tselinny is a vision of architect Asif Khan reimagining the Soviet-built cinema as a new Center of Contemporary Culture, an inclusive platform for creativity and public dialogue. Located in the heart of Almaty, in Kazakhstan, the reconstructed building reclaims its layered history and shapes possibilities for new generations.
It is the architect’s poem to a city of vibrant cultural layers, to the ancient landscape of glacier-capped mountains and rivers, and to the people of Almaty in the past, present and future.
The new Tselinny Center’s layout creates a journey of experiences and interactions. At its core is the vast auditorium with an 18-meter ceiling, once the biggest cinema in Soviet Union, now a flexible space awaiting the varied programming that artists and curators imagine for Almaty’s audiences.
Inspired by traditional Kazakh spatial awareness, the building’s ground level is transformed into a single step-free plane, thus inviting everyone to experience Tselinny as an open and accessible public space, designed to flow naturally with Almaty’s landscape merging the boundaries between exterior and interior spaces.
The reconstructed wings houses a “Capsule” gallery, learning “Atelier” and Library, Tselinny Shop and offices, supported by a loading bay for flexible exhibitions and events. The southern wing café Zher opens onto a terrace overlooking a dry riverbed inspired landscape, which creates a green connection between the eastern plaza and neighbouring Nikolskiy Park. A rooftop restaurant adds another layer of cultural engagement, offering panoramic views of the city and mountains. Together with the outdoor areas for leisure and communication, the public spaces of Tselinny Center form a new cultural ecosystem designed to regenerate the Almaty’s historic “Broadway.”
Duality and Symbolism (From Sky to Earth)
The main facade is reimagined with a sweeping 42-meter curvilinear white cloud form, inspired by nomadic cosmology. This cloud embodies the dialogue of Tengri-Sky and Umai-Earth, and the infinite possibility of life which could be created from this union. As day passes, the sun draws a cinematic motion of light and shadow on the facade’s canvas. The ever-changing nature of Khan’s cloudscape adds a delicate and organic presence to the monumental Soviet architecture. The subtle form of the 8.5m tall lamellas act as a “curtain before the cinema screen” – as a homage to the original function of the building and an invitation to explore the spirit of contemporary art and culture. This soft, layer of curving white material works in harmony with the glass behind, creating a composite identity for Tselinny that is simultaneously panoramic, cinematic, and misty. Like a cloud moving across the ground, it offers intrigue and mystery, revealing and concealing its interior gems, shifting with time and perspective. At night, the foyer emanates light, echoing its memorable visual image from the 1960s and inviting visitors to pass through a gentle threshold that connects Sky and Earth, history and imagination. Passing through this “cloud” is to move into a shared cultural realm, where Tselinny’s cinema legacy merges with its new role as a space for inspiration and collaboration.
Layers of Memory
Asif Khan’s approach to balance the diverse historical context of Almaty is expressed in the architecture of the building which synthesises modernism of 20th century, complex cultural identity and a new universal language which exists beyond time and space. Neighbouring the golden domes of St. Nicholas Cathedral, the reconstructed building of Tselinny Center adds harmonious layers to the preserved architectural fabric.
Hidden behind the plaster board during the previous renovation in the early 2000s and rediscovered in 2018, the original sgraffito by the Soviet artist Evgeniy Sidorkin, has been carefully restored and now is open to the city once again. Muted tones and ghosted areas acknowledge the artwork’s historical damage, creating an “artistic ground” that honours past generations while leaving space for new narratives.
The new wings of the building, made of fibre-reinforced concrete panels, are decorated with a metaphorical relief reminiscent of a cloudscape of petroglyphs, which simultaneously refers to ancient nomadic civilisations, Sidorkin’s sgraffito and the artistic language of future generations.
As a public center and a space of open ground, Tselinny is now poised as a boundless canvas—inviting Almaty’s contemporaries to add new stories, traditions, and dreams.
The Architectural transformation of Tselinny is a vision of architect Asif Khan reimagining the Soviet-built cinema as a new Center of Contemporary Culture, an inclusive platform for creativity and public dialogue. Located in the heart of Almaty, in Kazakhstan, the reconstructed building reclaims its layered history and shapes possibilities for new generations.
It is the architect’s poem to a city of vibrant cultural layers, to the ancient landscape of glacier-capped mountains and rivers, and to the people of Almaty in the past, present and future.
The new Tselinny Center’s layout creates a journey of experiences and interactions. At its core is the vast auditorium with an 18-meter ceiling, once the biggest cinema in Soviet Union, now a flexible space awaiting the varied programming that artists and curators imagine for Almaty’s audiences.
Inspired by traditional Kazakh spatial awareness, the building’s ground level is transformed into a single step-free plane, thus inviting everyone to experience Tselinny as an open and accessible public space, designed to flow naturally with Almaty’s landscape merging the boundaries between exterior and interior spaces.
The reconstructed wings houses a “Capsule” gallery, learning “Atelier” and Library, Tselinny Shop and offices, supported by a loading bay for flexible exhibitions and events. The southern wing café Zher opens onto a terrace overlooking a dry riverbed inspired landscape, which creates a green connection between the eastern plaza and neighbouring Nikolskiy Park. A rooftop restaurant adds another layer of cultural engagement, offering panoramic views of the city and mountains. Together with the outdoor areas for leisure and communication, the public spaces of Tselinny Center form a new cultural ecosystem designed to regenerate the Almaty’s historic “Broadway.”
Duality and Symbolism (From Sky to Earth)
The main facade is reimagined with a sweeping 42-meter curvilinear white cloud form, inspired by nomadic cosmology. This cloud embodies the dialogue of Tengri-Sky and Umai-Earth, and the infinite possibility of life which could be created from this union. As day passes, the sun draws a cinematic motion of light and shadow on the facade’s canvas. The ever-changing nature of Khan’s cloudscape adds a delicate and organic presence to the monumental Soviet architecture. The subtle form of the 8.5m tall lamellas act as a “curtain before the cinema screen” – as a homage to the original function of the building and an invitation to explore the spirit of contemporary art and culture. This soft, layer of curving white material works in harmony with the glass behind, creating a composite identity for Tselinny that is simultaneously panoramic, cinematic, and misty. Like a cloud moving across the ground, it offers intrigue and mystery, revealing and concealing its interior gems, shifting with time and perspective. At night, the foyer emanates light, echoing its memorable visual image from the 1960s and inviting visitors to pass through a gentle threshold that connects Sky and Earth, history and imagination. Passing through this “cloud” is to move into a shared cultural realm, where Tselinny’s cinema legacy merges with its new role as a space for inspiration and collaboration.
Layers of Memory
Asif Khan’s approach to balance the diverse historical context of Almaty is expressed in the architecture of the building which synthesises modernism of 20th century, complex cultural identity and a new universal language which exists beyond time and space. Neighbouring the golden domes of St. Nicholas Cathedral, the reconstructed building of Tselinny Center adds harmonious layers to the preserved architectural fabric.
Hidden behind the plaster board during the previous renovation in the early 2000s and rediscovered in 2018, the original sgraffito by the Soviet artist Evgeniy Sidorkin, has been carefully restored and now is open to the city once again. Muted tones and ghosted areas acknowledge the artwork’s historical damage, creating an “artistic ground” that honours past generations while leaving space for new narratives.
The new wings of the building, made of fibre-reinforced concrete panels, are decorated with a metaphorical relief reminiscent of a cloudscape of petroglyphs, which simultaneously refers to ancient nomadic civilisations, Sidorkin’s sgraffito and the artistic language of future generations.
As a public center and a space of open ground, Tselinny is now poised as a boundless canvas—inviting Almaty’s contemporaries to add new stories, traditions, and dreams.
