Baku, Azerbaijan, Mar. 17
By Elena Kosolapova - Trend:
The main construction and installation works at the facilities of the international exposition of Kazakhstan's EXPO 2017, will be realized in 2015, Talgat Yermegiyayev, the chairman of the board of the Astana EXPO-2017 JSC, told Trend.
"The construction and installation works continue in full swing and strictly according to the approved schedule," he said, adding, "The construction of pavilions has started."
Yermegiyayev added that the highest pace of the construction and installation works would be in 2015.
"The works, in general, should be completed in December 2016," he noted.
He also said that in early 2017, the participating countries' representatives will arrive in Kazakhstan and will start equipping their pavilions.
Yermegiyayev said the exposition and non-exposition zones have been already defined for the EXPO-2017. The exposition's total area will be 174 hectares, and its first zone of 25 hectares will accommodate all the main facilities.
The space-and-planning solutions on these facilities have been approved, and the local expert conclusions have been received for the technical part of the groundwork for the pavilions.
Yermegiyayev noted that the design of the foundation pits and driving of piles of the pavilions and the congress hall into the soil have been completed.
The construction involves foreign and Kazakh companies that have proved themselves and are widely known in the construction industry.
Sembol Insaat is constructing a pavilion called Kazakhstan-Astana, a congress center and commercial pavilions, while Mabcocontructions S.A. is building eight international pavilions and two thematic ones.
Yermegiyayev also said that ABK Kurylys-1 and Bazis Construction Company are building three international and one thematic pavilion each.
The non-exposition zone will accommodate the EXPO main office, a press center, hotels, industrial premises, and premises for the policing services, homes, shopping centers and others.
"A national company tries to attract the districts to the preparation for the exhibition upon President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev's order," Yermegiyayev said. "It also tries to provide the small and medium-sized businesses, engaged in the production of stuff required for the construction of an exhibition center in Astana, with jobs."
"The company has already attracted 85 domestic producers of goods from districts," he said. "They will supply their output worth 59.6 billion tenge (185.35 tenge = $ 1), namely, concrete, cables, polystyrene plates, metal-roll, roofing materials and etc., for the construction of the exhibition facilities."
While holding the EXPO, the entrepreneurs will have the opportunity to organize catering services, retail trade, e-commerce, hotel and tourism business, concerts and entertainment events.
"The concluded memorandums have a single goal to comprehensively assist in the implementation of the national plan for EXPO-2017 organizing and holding, as well as to promote the exhibition, by arousing the interest of the residents of each area of Kazakhstan," Yermegiyayev said.
The International Specialized Exhibition EXPO will be held for the first time in Kazakhstan in 2017. The exhibition will be held in Astana from June 10 to September 10. The "Energy of the Future" has been chosen as a topic.
Astana EXPO-2017 national company was established in 2013. The main objectives of its activity are the preparation and holding of the EXPO-2017 exhibition, as well as the operation and use of the EXPO-2017 facilities following the completion of the exhibition.
Edited by CN
---
Follow the author on Twitter: @E_Kosolapova