Bayterek, Observation tower in Astana, Kazakhstan

Bayterek is an observation tower with a golden sphere atop in Astana, Kazakhstan, rising 105 meters above a wide plaza and supported by branching white columns. The sphere rests on slender pillars that grow from the foundation like tree limbs spreading upward through the structure.

Bayterek was completed and handed over by the state commission in 2003, though the project won the Grand Prix at the 10th competition of the International Association of Architects' Unions as the best project and building of 2002 among CIS countries. The tower was built as a symbol of the 1997 transfer of the capital from Almaty to Akmola. Its design grew from a sketch by President Nursultan Nazarbayev, developed by a team led by architect Akmurza Rustembekov with Suyerkhan Bazarbayev, Zhumabek Aitbayev, engineer Mark Vanshtein and interior designer Aituar Ospanov; the domestic project costing about $5 million was preferred over Zurab Tsereteli's $60 million arch.

The name means poplar, a tree that carries sacred meaning in Kazakh storytelling and represents the beginning of new life. Visitors recognize the golden sphere as the legendary egg of the mythical bird Samruk, who flies between worlds and brings sunlight to earth.

The panoramic hall sits inside the 22 m sphere at a height of 76.9 m, reached by lift from the underground level 4.5 m below ground. The main entrance lies 4.8 m above the plaza, up a decorative reinforced-concrete stair. The lower level holds a café, aquariums and a photo gallery on the project's history.

A metal cast of the first president's handprint sits on the uppermost viewing level where visitors can place their hand inside. The sphere reflects daylight differently depending on season and sun angle, changing the appearance of the golden color throughout the day.