Iconic Towers

Iconic Towers is the first landmark project in the city of Alatau and so far the only residential development here that has been officially announced. Private investment in the project exceeds 800 million US dollars.

What it is

The complex covers 276,800 square metres and consists of:

• a 56-storey tower, its highest point, holding Class A offices and modern apartments;
• an 80-metre tower given over entirely to an international five-star hotel;
• a three-storey podium at the base with cultural venues and a 58,000 m² shopping and entertainment centre.

The design is built on a “vertical city” concept: thousands of residents and employees live and work within a single structure, while the residential, business and hotel zones stay fully separated from one another.

At 272 metres, Iconic Towers will be the tallest building in the Almaty region and in southern Kazakhstan — nearly 110 metres taller than Almaty’s Esentai Tower (162 metres).

Who designed it

Britain’s Zaha Hadid Architects and America’s Skidmore, Owings & Merrill both worked on the exterior. The chosen concept was SOM’s “Mountain Landscape” — from the team behind the world’s tallest skyscraper, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, as well as One World Trade Center in New York, the National Commercial Bank Tower in Jeddah and NATO headquarters in Brussels. In Kazakhstan, SOM is known for the Talan Towers mixed-use complex in Astana.

Who is building it

The main contractor is the China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC). The partnership was announced in September 2025 during President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s state visit to China. CSCEC has built 90% of China’s skyscrapers and landmarks in more than 100 countries, including the UN headquarters in New York and Beijing’s Bird’s Nest stadium.

Given the region’s seismic activity, the complex is being engineered to the strictest international standards, including a reinforced-frame method — a heavy steel skeleton rated for extreme loads, the same principle used for the Salesforce Tower in San Francisco.

Construction schedule

Site preparation is well under way. Geotechnical surveys and test-pile trials finish over the coming months, allowing full excavation to begin in May 2026. The consulting stage is due to close by summer, with design and cost documentation complete by April 2027. Commissioning is scheduled for the end of 2029.

Construction is overseen by a dedicated Executive Committee responsible for budgets, risk management and coordination with the state.

Sales

There are no official apartment sales or price lists at this point. Leave a request and we will tell you as soon as the developer opens reservations.