Palace of Peace and Reconciliation, Pyramid-shaped event venue in Astana, Kazakhstan
The Palace of Peace and Reconciliation is a pyramid-shaped building made of granite and glass in central Astana. The structure reaches 62 meters (203 feet) in height and features glass panels with dove motifs at its summit.
The building opened in 2006 and was meant to create a permanent venue for meetings among religious leaders. Construction followed a conference held in Kazakhstan three years earlier.
The stained glass of the apex, by Brian Clarke, shows pigeons in flight, and 130 doves in the top-floor Cradle hall stand for the peoples of Kazakhstan. Every three years some 200 delegates of world religions meet in a circular chamber modelled on the UN Security Council room. The opera hall seats 1,302 and has a sun-window above the stage.
The pyramid stands at the end of a long stepped stone water channel in the Presidential Park, which covers the lower levels of the building. The upper sections are reached by lift, not stairs. The opera hall seats 1,302 and has 20 dressing rooms.
Three corners of the pyramid rest on movable supports that adjust for temperature changes while one corner stays anchored. This design prevents stress across the entire structure during the extreme seasons in the region.
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